A voice in the wilderness
CAN YOU HAVE YOUR OWN
CONVERSATION WITH GOD?

I’ve just returned from seven days on the road, bringing the message of Conversations with God in person to people across the continent and over the Atlantic from my home in Oregon. And once again I experience that if there is one question that I’m asked more than just about any other when I meet people everywhere, it’s this:

“Can I have my own conversation with God? How can I do that? Is it even possible to do that? Or is this just something that happened to you and to other select people?”

And, of course, you know my answer. No, it’s not something that’s just happening to me. And, yes, it is possible for everyone to have their own conversation with God. In fact, everyone is having their own CWG all the time. They’re simply calling it something else.

I am aware that this response sidesteps the initial and major, pertinent and germane question — which is, of course, if there even is such a thing as “God.”

I believe there is, and that what humans have been debating and discussing for thousands of years is not whether such a phenomenon exists, but how to define it and what to call it and how to use it — if, indeed, it can be “used.”

Survey after survey, year after year, of culture after culture, in country after country all over the world indicate that the majority of people on our planet hold a belief that there is in existence some sort of Higher Power. We just can’t seem to agree on the nature of that force, its characteristics, its composition, its usefulness (if any), its intention (if it possesses a sufficient level of consciousness to even have an intention), its purpose (if any), its aim or objective or desire (if any), and its place in our lives (if any).

Is it simply a physical aspect of our Universe with which we must contend, or is it a force and a source with which we may interact with purpose and intent, producing predictable and consistent results?

The difficulty of entering into such any discussion about this is that there is no way to verify empirically or substantiate scientifically any theory that supports the second notion in the sentence above. It is rather like trying to prove that Blue is blue.

Excuse me, but…who said so? What makes this true? Is it because everyone agrees? Is it our accepted understanding because everyone has decided it is?

If we hold up six crayons, each of a different color, and ask members of an audience to point to the one that is Blue, will everyone point to the same one?

If we hold up six ideas about God, each of a different nature, and ask members of an audience to point to the one that is real, will everyone point to the same one?

What makes Blue blue and God god? Is it just because we said so?

We’re not going to solve this here, of course. People have been trying to get other people to agree with them on the question of God, one way or the other, until they’re blue in the face.

I have my point of view about it, but if I can’t convince you to agree with me on this, I’m not going to get discouraged or wind up being sad or feeling…well…blue.

Nor am I going to argue with you about it and thrash it out until we’re both seeing red. Now you may say I simply lack the intellectual courage to engage in such a debate. Some might even call me yellow. But I’m just not willing to get into all these gray areas. That’s a blueprint for disaster.

(Sorry, I had to do it. I’m new at this kind of humor…I’m green here…so that, of course, colors my whole approach. But I’ll stop now, because I know I’ve carried this a bit too far. To be sure, this is not what you’d call purple prose. I’m not going to win any blue ribbons with what I’m writing right now. And I’m sure you’re not exactly tickled pink with it. In fact, if I carry this any further you’ll probably turn white. But wait! There’s a silver lining to all this. I’ve been caught red handed here, and you could use my reluctance to defend my beliefs to blackball me…claiming that I don’t really believe what I say I believe, and that I’m a charlatan. And you wouldn’t be the first to charge me with that. I mean, such an accusation would not be exactly out of the blue…)

All of that having been said (sadly…), I’m going to use this space in the days ahead to share with you how you can experience having your own conversation with God (everyone is having it, but not everyone is experiencing it as that) and observe it bringing direct benefit to your life, in 7 easy steps.

So join me here in just a few days as I share this with you. And again, this is not going to be an argument or a debate, an analysis or an investigation, about whether there is a God or not. You can quarrel about that if you want to in your comments below, but my upcoming columns are not going there. So if you don’t agree with my premise that God exists, you may want to ignore my next 7 entries.

(Coming Next: Step 1 in having an experience of your own conversation with God.)

Comments

197 responses to “A voice in the wilderness
CAN YOU HAVE YOUR OWN
CONVERSATION WITH GOD?”

  1. Marko Avatar

    Funny. Well if God or HEB’s or other enlightened beings don’t have a sense of humor, I’d be not only disappointed, but suspicious.

    In Lisette Larkins work on HEB’s or enlightened ET’s they are very light hearted, humorous, as well as being very wise. If someone claims to be enlightened and has no sense of humor, run away fast, as they will not be any fun. I try not to take things to seriously myself except in emergencies and deeper emotional and physical hurts, abuse etc. Laughter does cure many aliments.

    It’s been said “Angels fly because they take themselves lightly.”

    I do suspect that science & technology will one day be able to detect God or Universal energy at some point as well as peer into the afterlife. It’s only a matter of time.

    For those interested in a humorous romantic movie that is about more cosmic afterlife issues, past lives and about over coming fears as a way to evolve, check out the movie by Albert Brooks called “Defending your life.”

    1. babybleustardust Avatar
      babybleustardust

      Is it on Netflix, Marko? That sounds like a good one 🙂

      1. Marko Avatar

        I would think so. I think you’d enjoy it.

        1. babybleustardust Avatar
          babybleustardust

          Thanks, Marko. It’s time to pleasure me. I’m taking your advice and watching a movie. I know I’ll love it. You’re so cool. You just are 🙂

          1. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Its time to pleasure me?????
            Erm, you may want to change that wording!!

          2. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            No. Pleasure is my God. Never would I change that wording 🙂 🙂 🙂

          3. Sam Avatar
            Sam

            “Its time to pleasure me?????”

            Damn, this always happens to me.
            Sam, Sam, Sam, with some green eggs and Ham, and then: bang!
            Surely, you must feel it too? 🙂

          4. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Sam, I am, are you Sam.. I do not like green eggs and ham or I’ll take them in a box. I’ll take them with a fox. Which one are you? A god of pleasure, or merely a God of little measure 😉

          5. Sam Avatar
            Sam

            I be whatever you want me to be. After all, it’s your fantasy. Have a ball, don’t wake up, just yet 😉

          6. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Ok. You’re a ball of green baby green lining in silver lining baby bleu <3 <3 <3 <3

          7. Sam Avatar
            Sam

            Just gibberish. Or, with other words: climax. Good for you 🙂

          8. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            It’s good for some who live a true green ball with silver lining baby bleu 😉

          9. Sam Avatar
            Sam

            And the climax just refuses to end. Happy hour! 🙂

          10. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Happy Saturday :)))

          11. Sam Avatar
            Sam

            Indeed 🙂

          12. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Happy Saturday to all on the planet of their Happy cocreating Happy Planet :)))

          13. Sam Avatar
            Sam

            Go your-local-team-whatever! (waiting for applause!) Yay! 🙂

          14. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            I’m waiting for the final inning. What’s the score man? Are we in heaven yet? It’s a happening world when we happen in a personal world and in a planet swinging all planets towards a grand portal wow it must be something.

          15. Sam Avatar
            Sam

            Quite often you speak of things only understandable to yourself. Why is that?

          16. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Just ignore it if you don’t understand it. That’s fine. Many here speak in certain ways that I get, but I am all for straight talk always. That’s my profession. So, about the original question, when you and Kirsten were making childish chatter about my comment that God said to me “Pleasure yourself” because God is Joy and I am that I am, here is what you spoke to Kirsten:

            ““Its time to pleasure me?????”
            Damn, this always happens to me.
            Sam, Sam, Sam, with some green eggs and Ham, and then: bang!
            Surely, you must feel it too? :)”

            And, here is Kirsten’s rude comment. I am really not here for childish talk. I am here to grow in love. If you can’t be love then please don’t be me but please be kind, okay?

            “Its time to pleasure me?????
            Erm, you may want to change that wording!!”

            What did you and Kirsten mean chiding me about my original comment to Marko about a movie I was going to watch at his recommendation? Just asking. . .

          17. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            From my point of view, its wording that people will interpret as sounding a bit dodgy. Read it as a stranger would. I suggested you should change it.
            Yes God is joy BUT the wording of God telling you to pleasure yourself made me laugh, and still is!!!
            Smile…Sam has a whole team and is waiting for applause!!!
            Xx

          18. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Well, here is my view. From the depth of my heart, God spoke that line to me, and, why joke at my heart’s true sharing at my expense? I mean it is what God spoke in the first weeks of my first conscious awakening. It aligns with CWG in that God is pure Joy when one returns to the true Manor one is in God’s Mind. I don’t truly get the joke. I am like that. I sometimes fail to see the humor in such mannerisms. Mind your manners man and leave my true heart out of it. I didn’t think it was funny. I still don’t. But, I smile anyhoo, and I am off to do my own thing, okay. Applause all you want man, but you don’t get my room if you are joking at my expense. I don’t make fun of your belief system. God knows there is plenty one could say but I don’t go there.,

          19. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Hi ya,
            I’ll spell it out for you..the term pleasuring yourself is used in a sexual context, surely you are well aware of that. If not, think it through for a second.
            Hence suggesting you may like to change the wording you used.

          20. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Dear Kirsten,

            Let me spell it out for you. The term “pleasuring” is a derivative of the word “pleasure” and that means so many things, an infinite number of things, as many things as God has created, and when God said this to me, he meant it. I could care less about your interpretation of that word to me. I stand by my discussion. I pleasure me in painting, in watching movies, in looking at a daffodil. I pleasure me in communing with God, and if one does not commune in bliss, then you’re not knowing God. Let it be me who spells it out. The idea that “Sam stepped up for Marko” is ludicrous. Marko answered me first and gave me a true answer. Sam was being facetious. My mirror back to Sam was mirroring Sam facetioiusness. I am no longer mirroring this stuff. The reference to Sam and Tabitha is a joke, like I said on many threads back between God and me. He called me Sam from Casablanca and Tabitha for a number of reasons. It doesn’t matter that Sam thought simply because you and whoever began asking me on the last thread “Are you Sam or Michelle”? Never did I say to Sam hey I’m yours. Item? No. No. No. If anyone got that idea, I don’t really read his posts that closely. Don’t know him, and not trying to insult him but he started the conversation, not me. Also, the threads that were in the 600s referred to you being Pebbles and god knows what all. I am here to say that I clear energies on this internet for God and cartoons are big. You are dabbllin with the wrong Goddess. I see all that you do.

          21. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Im sorry, I have to smile, Sam was joking, it was completely frivilious, no different to lots of chatter in general
            Annie was Pebbles btw, I just like the Flintstones dresses!

            “I see all that you do”….mmmm, interesting?????????

          22. Sam Avatar
            Sam

            “Just ignore it if you don’t understand it. That’s fine.”

            I ignore it most of the time. But still, I don’t understand your point for doing it. Do you?

            I was joking about you & me being an item. After all, you have been speaking my name a lot lately 🙂 I can’t see any harm in that. The pleasure thing, is all on Kirsten. Washing my hands 🙂

          23. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Sure, Im fine with that…at least you understood why I suggested the wording should change.

          24. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Sam,

            To be really honest, I was mirroring Kirsten’s gibberish, knowing what that meant. I now no longer participate because I don’t need to. We do not need to think I thought you and I were an item. I truthfully never said that.

          25. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            My gibberish…..erm Im ok with that as well. So now because I warned you something could be interpreted in a different context, as it was as a joke, I somehow now speak gibberish which I dont, I have dissed your personal beliefs which I havnt, I do dodgy stuff online that you can see although this is the only website I go in, I am dabbling with a goddess although ive never met one and so on. Interesting…but if you believe any of those things then I can assure you, someone is deceiving you, and its not me.
            Sam was just playing, he never thought that at all.
            Gosh Michelle.

          26. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Kirsten, no worries. I didn’t mean literally. I did not ever try to literally “see” a person or their actions. Never would I. I do read energy in fields, the internet, people, photos. I am an empath. I would never try to “zoom” at anyone. That’s not what I do. First of all, your idea that it was completely “frivolous” chatter that all were engaging in on that 600 post thread is frivolous. I help God deplete energy that is fear from all spaces. I don’t look at the energy.. Believe me. I would never attempt to look at anyone. In fact, that goes against my cosmology in a big way. I think there is a difference between being transparent and honoring one’s privacy, so don’t worry about that at all. I simply help God deplete false lines of energy, and I read it in any word. I see imprints even applications of people. I can read, so nevermind. Let’s forget this conversation. I am getting more serious so maybe it’s time for me to stop blogging so much. Have a great day or whatever it is wherever you live. I don’t really remember that even, except I now recall you saying kiwi, so Australia or new Zealand. I don’t really know which. Have a goodnight.

          27. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Im not worried at all, Im an open book, everything I type is as I would speak. I treat in here just as a room full of random people, thats what the internet is. BUT it would be interesting for you to explain what you meant when you said you clear energies online so “you see all that I do”, a comment you have now edited off.
            Obviously one of the beings or entities around you is lying about something or intercepting your impressions to give you mis information…so Im interested in knowing what exactly I apparently do on the internet???? If you have any impression other that what you see here, that I youtube music or sell work stock online, then you are being deceived. Do tell…you and I both know the ‘Giaon’ one hates me, Ive already been energy sapped today with a migrane for this, and ‘it’ threatened me last year with financial curses if I tried to help you SO if its lying to you about me at all then perhaps its lying about others as well, defeating the purpose of your job clearing the internet???
            All said with love, cat laying on me purring,
            K

          28. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            I work with Elohim. I won’t refer to Gaion, not on this plane. At no time did I send any energy to any. I receive energy as I need to see energy. Zoomers come to me as I need to review them. God remotes me to fields where I need to be, for instance, in a time of war. I have viewed Syria. I don’t ask to review times of war, but I have been given rooms where I view a Map, and that’s not unimportant information. I am not here to say I know any of what you speak about last year or last night. I went to bed after reading this blog and refused to do a thing, right to sleep. Not only am I not mean, I am naïve in that I believe there is good and love and peace in all. Sometimes I get burned like that, but I still believe. I doubt that anything I love hates anything, but working for such things is getting old. I am tired of seeing all I see, to be frank. Energy that is so happening that it’s hopping is not welcome. God protects me and knows how to return to sender. What you got is not my sending. I have many protecting me from the Angelics who are WarGods, winds of force of love. Love mirrors until it doesn’t and I am not desiring to be a mirror to things I don’t feel in my heart. Joking is over for me. I am serious and light humor is fun but the humor appeared light but wasn’t all me in that I saw other things happening. I read words and such and no I don’t think any intend to harm but certain play rooms are harming innocent, so I remove my heart from such chatter. Anyway, I don’t know about what you are saying about “curses.” That is not on my radar screen. Just know that is not my gig. Migranes come and go. I went to bed sound asleep. i’m just waking up and need my coffee. I hope you feel better.

          29. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Michelle…why have you just deleted your post where you stated you ‘patrol’ the internet wth one you identify as a god, saying you are clearing lines etc and ‘see all that I do’ online? Then backtrack with your comment above that no doubt you will erase trying say the opposite, that you dont do it?
            This is a site clearly hacked in to?????
            As Ive said before, allowing entities/beings etc, even if they say they are a god, into your home, life and allow them access to your physical body is incredibly dangerous. Especially when you astral travel leaving your body unattended, allow them to take over and have said you wake up and drawings etc have been done that you have no recollection of.
            Check your internet logs or something, you may find some things very interesting going on in there…just a thought!
            Take care,
            K

          30. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Kirsten, I am now having problems on my personal laptop due to hackers. I have had trouble pasting a response. Stop accusing of things you know little about. I did not delete that post. I don’t know if it is moderated but I never deleted it. I didn’t say I “patrol” the internet, I said I deplete the fields of negative based energy, fearbased energy. Never do I hack into a website. Couldn’t even if I wanted to. I am computer illiterate. Drawings no recollection? Never did I say that. I Have every recollection of the drawing handed to my hand, the indian. Yes. That was a gift, much like letters of love move through someone having a conversation with God. As far as internet. All the world is having trouble with their internet and I am already being bombarded on this blog only. I cannot even type and paste a response. Had to go to disqus for God’s sake, so disqus isn’t the problem. Don’t know what it is but I’m tired of blogging. Don’t worry about me speaking to anything I don’t know. I don’t mingle in false rooms.

          31. Sam Avatar
            Sam

            Hmm, I think humor goes over your head, like much of how you write do ours. You are a special case, all right 🙂 But you are really just wonderful, through and through, with a pure heart. I know that, as do everyone, so don’t worry 🙂

          32. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            No hmmm to it. Genuine humor makes me laugh. Yours does go over my head, not on my radar anymore with pure intent.

          33. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Exactly! And it was hilarious, the ending was inevitable, it always is.
            K

          34. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Hahaha.
            And please tell me the ‘go your local team’ comment was in a completely different context….please!!
            Glad you had a happy hour.
            K

    2. Gross Prophet Avatar
      Gross Prophet

      While I like such subjects myself, I can not watch anything with Albert Brooks in it. Same with Woody Allen. I can’t handle neurotic introspection played out in slow-motion.

  2. Kristen Avatar
    Kristen

    Humours good Neale…..it’s ok, you’re 70, your humour can be dad jokes, even incredibly lame ones, age is forgiving in that aspect!

    1. babybleustardust Avatar
      babybleustardust

      There’s something to being nothing but a good dad. Having a good dad around who wears the goofiest socks with tennis shoes. You know, those black socks with white tennis shoes. That’s a good dad, okay? Just doesn’t give a rip but is a good dad all around, goofy jokes and all 🙂

      1. Kristen Avatar
        Kristen

        My dad is hilarious, wears levis etc..we dress him to make sure he doesnt look like a dork!
        And in reply to above, I feel The Source and God around literally, drawn in with music or humour often. My house and life is a sitcom. Middle son is a builder, 22. Every day he walks in the house impersonating a 55year old man saying “Hi chaps, hows it going?”, swinging his arm across his body like old people do. I reply “Its going”, then he replies “has it gone?”, then laughs like an old man laughing at his own lame joke. Or puts on a floro vest to work on his car, talking like an old man directing us where we can stand, he has the funny gene from my dad, Nana and I, my dauggter doesnt but never stops laughing at us, you just have to look at her and she says “stop Mum, dont even say it, go to your room” then laughs…we dont even have to say a thing.
        I often feel God or/and Source around laughing, I can feel it in my soul/heart chakra sometimes ready to burst and my knees almost buckle, which is different to me…since I was raised with humour my threshold for humour is incredibly high, people have to almost be on the ground laughing before I quietly laugh, God and The Source find things I dont find that funny, hilarious.
        Rest of the question….I get signs, synchronicity and things constantly all day everyday to know they are active in my life. Last night I was woken by the weight of what felt like a cat jumping on my foot…nope, no cat. Either my teacher or Angel sitting there, my lag and hand went tingly, then lips, then felt like a beanie put on my head, I must have needed extra protection or something, so I was awoken to know someone was in my room. Sometimes my eyes are drawn to something I will find funny, like a misspelt sign, like they want me to laugh with them. Everyone funny knows its not what you say, its how you say it.
        I experience God and The Source constantly, right now someone is watching what I type as my lips and nose are tingly and eyes keep going unfocussed. If I want sitting on my left hand that would be tingly too.
        Xx

        1. babybleustardust Avatar
          babybleustardust

          Yeah. Tingles and blisses are fun. I get that a lot. Synchronicites happen all day and night. Can’t even stop them from happening. When I think a thought, instantly a synchroncity appears within my hearing range, my seeing eye, and feeling mind. It is God or Source. Whatever one calls God. Like today, I thought a thought. Actually, I am aware we all hear God in our mind, so conversations with God ongoing all day and night. So God said something while I was smoking a tiny cigareete, which I am quitting soon, and instantly two boys rode by on a bicycle and said something so in sync with what God was speaking that I wow knew I knew I knew and then I skipped hopped jumped on over to baby bleu and he said nevermind. It was a synchronicity. It’s just a thought and then someone appears, like an angel. It can be anything, a bird, a chipmunk, a squirrel, a hawk. It can be a sign that appears in the mind like a yield sign or a green light or a red light. It can be a lightbeam in the ceiling like reiki balls of lilght. God is magical and words are truly a gift. Neale is lucky to not have married my loser husband who keeps my documents hoarded. At any rate, books are always updone again and again, so clinging to a word is not important to me. Unbelievable that I am grown that much. Yes. I have experienced the physical on my bed bofore, loudy. Scared me at first but ah well. This is so much to God so I got scared at the weight on my bum. I levitated with the Haley Comet. New England had a meter come through and I felt my body in the air and just it was weird. God is All Life and even a seagull knows how to fly. That’s part of my poem. I have to stop typing or we’ll be up to nothing but hogging Neale’s wall is not my goal again so adios amigos. Have a good one.

          1. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            I find synchronicity a lot via other peoplem and signs. Remember last wee, we were talking about scones/biscuits? I was trying to find a name in a serious of books…I opened one today and the conversation was the same as we had, and the girls name Anne was on the next page.
            I refuse to hear voices, even from God, so only ferl somethjng telepathically or if I just let and conversation flow, it will just happen.
            K

          2. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Oh, yes. I am talking as I type telepathically usually. I speak it, write it but not bragging at all. I’m just saying that God speaks in many ways. The first big fun surprise I had I 2001, almost two weeks after he wrote through my magnadoodler here, he taught me telepathy. That’s been a big one for sure. I freaked in 2001. I remember it distinctly as a Big AHA moment. I was walking through the den. Of course, ,I didn’t put the pen down for a second, but as I was walking through the den, I heard him speak in my ear, something GodLike, and I said, “Oh my God. It’s you.” and, he said, I’m telepathic. I turn the volume up way up,” and then I said, “Wow oh my God. You know everything.” And, he said, “pleasure yourself.” Wow Whoa baby whoa what a moment to remember. I don’t hear voices. Dear God. .Poor Neale has heard that crap

          3. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            You misinterpreted that…oops. I know lots of people hear guides/God etc as voices, I used to, and take automatic writing, I just dont like it so said no thanks. Just personal choice. Now I just feel a telepathic thought. I didnt mean voices like schizophrenics do…that would be scary as hell.

          4. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Yes. I would think that schizophrenia would be scary. I am happy to say that I don’t have that disorder, nor any mental disorder. Not only would that be scary as hell but very evident to all life and that is not here. Telepathy is more than a feeling. Telepathy is the way, the means by which the manor meets the big manor, and God is real and God has many manors. God knows, not always every outcome when two big manors meet, but knows all thoughts as they are forming, for God is always creating more of a big and good thing in the forming process. It can be scary, but I have telepathy with all Gods on the planet, which means many and that means regular looking men and women, animals, too, which isn’t scary to me. I love all animals cuz in the beginning, God named all of the animals in the beginning a long time ago. Anyhoo, no worries, but it just seemed like you were being a little catty cathy chatty cathy. Sorry for thinking 🙂 Here is to more fun in the many faceted God I am.

          5. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Im writing about Gods Manor, my Manor is called The Manor, its ending up a comedy though, I cant stay serious for long, I cant take much seriously. You and Annie just gave me a sign to go something I was debating. The scones, now Manor and Annies Romeo and Juliet quote.
            Glad you realise I wasnt being a biarch.

            Re creation:
            When God made Adam and Eve, He stepped back, took a look, smiled, and said all is good…then looked down, seeing He had spare parts in his hand.
            ‘Screw it’ He said, ‘I have no idea what this part is’, so just threw it to land wherever it would land, on either Adam or Eve.
            And thus the penis was born!
            Its Sunday here, thats my Church sermon for the day!
            K

          6. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Glad to know that you are not a biarc. 🙂

  3. babybleustardust Avatar
    babybleustardust

    This sounds like fun 😉 You’re green baby green Now where is the gold lining baby bleu. That’s the shade of God I want to do. So, what a cliffhanger man. You’re going to make us wait a week or what till we get to step 1? I want to skip, jump, hop on up to step 2 at least.

    1. Marko Avatar

      To get in the zone, I try not to require the experience to show up in any certain way. At the same time, I work & play for certain experiences with out attaching that they have to be that way, just a preference.

      The easy way for me is drawing & doing art, or playing piano, writing, conversations with people, even posting on social media can put me there. Even swimming laps can put me there.

      I work & play or work & pray to visualize “I am peace, I am joy, I am enlightened.” throughout the day. In the morning it’s “Everyday in every way, my life just keeps getting better & better. Followed by “And just when I think life can’t get any better, it does!”

      I play at being a Master Appreciator, staying in my peace, moving into wonder when things happen I don’t like and watch what happens. I don’t think negative thoughts, when I do, I say “Not on my watch, not in my experience.” I’ve trained myself more than others to stay positive without airbrushing or putting putting cover girl make up over things. That which appears to be in the way, is the way.

      Like CwG book one says I like to see divinity show uP in songs, poetry, art, conversations, etc. as well as unconventional & mundane ways, be it chalk drawings on the sidewalk, walking in nature, being with our cat etc.

      1. babybleustardust Avatar
        babybleustardust

        I love what you wrote. Art and Music and Poetry do it. Just it does stop time when one is in the zone of creating something. Sometimes hours go by when I am really into it like I love being into it. What an inspiration. Swimming is another love I have. I hope to swim soon.

        I think you’re visualizing peace is also important, especially as we encounter the other, or one acting out as an other. Truly when things happen we don’t like, it can seem challenging to be a Master Appreciator. That has been my latest growth, learning to allow the negative to express but not on my watch and not in my personal experience. But, I must say cover girl is a necessity for me 😉 I like put put golf but cover girl is lovely when you’re a girl 🙂 I like all kinds of paint. Oh well, guys are lucky man. They don’t have to do much except shave and go. How come we can’t all be more like the French women who don’t shave legs, I hear and not put all our energy into frivolous.

        It is fun to appreciate the little things. Today I appreciate the sunshine and pink blossoms and a kitty named Butterfly. I appreciate music, too. I wrote a song for the first time last night. Do you write music. I know you play piano. Do you sing? I’m learning to sing, but I don’t know that all near me appreciates it as much as I have fun creating it 😉

        1. Marko Avatar

          My wife & I sing in a gospel choir. I don’t sing solo. We will be in New Orleans with a group of them in June for a few days. Otherwise, I’m a blues rock boogie player who loves jazz. I’m working & playing on a song I currently call Dark Amber blues inspired by an Alice Coltrane song. But currently doing more art.

          Here’s the entire CwG cosmology in one word according to me.
          Beingness.

          So that’s why I choose for my states of beingness Peace, Joy, Enlightenment.

          1. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            That sounds like fun. I want to go to New Orleans. I really do. A blues rock bookie and jazz. That’s my kind of guy, eclectic, just a lot of everything. It truly depends on what one wants to hear in the moment, and every moment is different so have fun in New Orleans. I would love to hear the Dark Amber Blues. I have a poem about Amber. I’ll have to go look up Alice Coltrane. I knew you were cool. Thanks! :)))

  4. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
    Spiritual_Annie

    Oh, what fun! Not just your column, but Divine comedy. Divinity has to have a sense of humor or humor wouldn’t exist because all of existence is Divine. I remember watching the movie Oh, God! with George Burns and John Denver, and loving that “God” had a sense of humor. Like making mistakes—the pit in the avacado being too big. Adam and Eve being “just kids.” What happens when you tell a kid not to do something? They immediately go and do it! Still one of my favorite movies.

    So is Bruce Almighty, with Jim Carrey and Morgan Freeman. It struck me that Morgan Freeman was probably one of very few Black actors who could play God without there being an issue made of it. I mean, I didn’t hear one peep of criticism about God being portrayed by a Black man, and loved that he did it. So much fun in that movie! And yet it says so much about being who we are and using our own special gifts. “And that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”

    A real mind-blowing movie is What Dreams May Come with Robin Williams. So many messages! That we create our own hell—until we don’t. That we co-create our reality, even after what we call death, shown by a bird pooping on Robin Williams’ head. The connection between here and the life after here, and the choosing to do it all over again for the joy of it. The message that we are not our bodies, but that we can create the illusion of one in any form—until we don’t. That here is an illusion, and a poor one at that, mirroring ultimate reality.

    There’s been endless debate about if there is a God and, if so, which God is the “right” God. They all are! They were each society’s way of interacting with Divinity. Why shouldn’t Divinity have many diverse faces? We do, and we’re created in God’s image, so to me it just makes sense that God would be as diverse as we are. Unfortunately, people have a tendency to put labels on each other, and do the same with Divinity. It’s like looking at only a single frame of a movie and declaring it to be the whole movie! Now, who would do that? But we do it in our religions with God.

    For myself, I see Divinity as ever expanding and evolving and so could never put it in a box. Divinity can’t be confined. It’s literally everywhere and everything. It’s the quarks and the elements, the plants and the animals, the air and the water, the inner space and the outer space. And because we’re all unique, we all experience Divinity in our own unique way.

    I have conversations with Divinity all the time. I see synchronicities. I find messages in signs, especially church signs when they’re punny. I write and Divinity puts me in flow. I have sudden knowings that seemingly come from nowhere. I have dreams that are premonitions that feel more multidimensional than our 3D world. I have OBE’s that have taken me on fantastic flights. I’ve had two NDE’s where I’ve expanded into the hugeness of my Soul. I hear Divinity in the words of friends and strangers. And, yes, I’ve had conversations with Divinity in my head.

    For me, there are times when I feel an energy unlike any other either around me or in me, and I know to pay attention because Divinity is speaking. It might be a rock that calls my attention and I feel its energy in my hand. Or a tree that, when I stop to truly feel it, makes me tingle. Or the next words of a stranger overheard in a crowded restaurant. Or a cat that comes up to me and looks directly into my eyes, and I can feel their Soul touching mine. I can look into my eyes in the mirror and see my own.

    I don’t really care what people choose to call Divinity, but I surely hope that, one day, people will let it break free of the boxes it’s been put into. Not so much for Divinity’s sake, or even so that we stop fighting over which box is the “right” box, but so that people can experience Divinity in all its diversity. It’s added so very much to my life to know Divinity is everyone and everything, everywhere, all the time. I just have to remember it.

    Love and Blessings Always,
    ~Annie

    1. babybleustardust Avatar
      babybleustardust

      What a great message, Annie, and from my favorite comedian, Robin Williams, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the Comedy store in Los Angeles. He is something. I love this quote:

      “The message that we are not our bodies, but that we can create the illusion of one in any form—until we don’t.”

      We are not our little bodies, and one can create many versions of a form and apply different applications, but we don’t have to if one is not mirroring Ultimate Reality. That’s pretty much what I have learned today.

      Thanks!

      M

  5. Jean Avatar
    Jean

    “The difficulty of entering into such any discussion about this is that there is no way to verify empirically or substantiate scientifically any theory that supports the second notion in the sentence above.”

    I don’t agree with this. All mystics from all traditions talk about the same experience : an absolute consciousness which is beyond time and space. They say that if you are very serious about following a spiritual path in the end you will verify empirically existence of god.
    Of course then people translate their experience with their cultural conditioning and with their personal values and that’s why people start to quarrel.

    1. babybleustardust Avatar
      babybleustardust

      “They say that if you are very serious about following a spiritual path in the end you will verify empirically existence of god.”

      Jean, This is fascinating to me. If you can verify empirically, and by this, I mean prove that to the world, then you have a million dollar booksale, I am sure. Personally, observable evidence is abundant to anyone awakening, for that is what awakens one, the wonderfully weirdness of being a God on a planet, a Goddess on a plane. Experience has a way of altering time and space and GodMind, but convincing the normal or average thinking population seems a daunting task. Thanks to Neale, again, for paving the way.

      1. Jean Avatar
        Jean

        We have to be very careful with words. God can be verified empirically, but it can’t be proven. It can be verified, as if you follow a spiritual path you will at least have glimpses of god by experimenting sometimes for a short period of time a sense of communion with everything. This is a function of the heart. But it can’t be proven with logical arguments, as logic is a function of the mind, and the mind sees everything as separated. God is mostly about unity. This means that if you don’t believe in god, of course nobody can prove to you that it exists.

        1. babybleustardust Avatar
          babybleustardust

          I hope one day science and logic will be able to verify the existence of something. God is something and always expanding when many commune in a knowing that God is something grand in the mind, in the body, in the soul and in and through and as All of God communing with the One Big OverSoul of All Life. I agree that if one has little faith of a possibility that God exists, then one is likely to overlook the infinite Ways in which God appears to everyone.

    2. Patrick Gannon Avatar
      Patrick Gannon

      “Is it simply a physical aspect of our Universe with which we must contend, or is it a force and a source with which we may interact with purpose and intent, producing predictable and consistent results?”

      No it is not a physical aspect of our universe with which we must contend. Almost anyone who refers to gods and souls refers to them as “immaterial” and that means they are not a physical aspect of our universe. If they were a physical aspect, we would see the effect that they have on the material particles in our universe. These forces or particles would have been discovered in particle colliders by now. There are no effects to particles in our natural world that required a magical force in order to explain them. Quantum field theory tells us with an amazingly high degree of precision that the chances that such immaterial forces that can impact our universe, is so insignificantly small, that it makes absolutely no sense to live our lives based on the chance. The chances that these forces exist are about the same as the chance that a pink, polka-dotted dinosaur will manifest in your living room this afternoon, right after dinner. Yes, QM says it could happen, but the chances make it so unlikely that it’s not worth waiting up for.

      The idea of gods and afterlives appears to be a function of evolution. As we evolved intellect and self-aware consciousness, we became the first animal to understand that we are food for worms. To deal with this, we invented gods. Of course we also invented them to explain natural phenomenon that our ancestors didn’t understand. Finally, we created them to build societies that would have a common framework to live within; a way to identify “us” and separate us from “them.” Gods have always separated us – including Neale’s god.

      Jean, I would very much like to see empirical evidence for any god. There is a Nobel Prize and worldwide acclaim awaiting anyone who can produce it.

  6. Marko Avatar

    Neale Donald Walsch

    May 19, 2016 at 8:00am ·

    “Most people don’t want to “let go” of a punishing God because they want to feel that there is some justice in the universe.”

    Question for the weekend & beyond: “Is there justice in the universe?” Is justice even the right word to use?

    1. babybleustardust Avatar
      babybleustardust

      We have to ponder the word “universe” if we ponder the word “justice.” I gotta run, but thought I would add that into the needs to be defined department 🙂

      1. Marko Avatar

        I use the world universe in the sense of considering or coming from the idea that ideas like gravity, the law of attraction and the law of diversity run through the entire know universe, not just our own area of attention.

        1. babybleustardust Avatar
          babybleustardust

          Exactly, Marko 🙂 That’s what I meant, too. 🙂 😉 😉

    2. babybleustardust Avatar
      babybleustardust

      hey Marko,

      Wouldn’t it be interesting to line your question up next to today’s fb post from
      CWG 4? Check it out. The word universe and inner-dimensionality are defined in a most intriguing way to me and place this in conjunction with the word justice. Maybe we can create something on your interesting thread here. Here it is from CWG4

      Q: Now what I would really like to do is take that close-up glance at what living as an awakened species would look like—and how humans can create and experience life in a new way on Earth.
      I want to go over again what you said in our previous conversations about how advanced beings from outer space live.
      A: I will be happy to, but first you must understand that I am not talking about beings from “outer space” as you have defined it.
      Q: What do you mean “as I have defined it”? Outer space is outer space. It’s the part of the cosmos that exists off this planet. It’s the rest of the universe. That’s how I define it. How do you define it?
      A: Well, I’m going to quote your metaphysical master, William Shakespeare here:
      “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
      Q: Which means?
      A: Which means there are more things in what you call “outer space” than are dreamt of in your cosmology.
      When you refer to “beings from outer space,” you are referring to that part of the universe of which you are aware. Yet the universe is much larger and far more inter-dimensional than you may think.
      Entities from the limited aspect of All That Exists that you call “outer space” are currently manifesting as physical entities, just as you are. And like humans, not all “beings from outer space” are peaceful, as I have already noted. Some are, and some are not.
      Even those who are peaceful nevertheless occasionally behave violently, just as humans who see themselves as peaceful sometimes behave violently.
      Q: To put it mildly. Many humans kill other humans.
      A: Exactly. So when I refer to beings who are choosing to help you, and when I describe the new way humanity could choose to live based on how this awakened species lives, I am referring to entities who are not from the celestial realm in which beings experience themselves as only or primarily physical.
      Q: You’ve got my attention.
      A: I am referring to life forms existing in Another Dimension.
      Q: A dimension where the entities are not physical?
      A: A dimension where they need not be. A dimension where they can be, if they wish to be, if they choose to “take on” what you would call a physical form, but where doing so is not required for them to have the experience for which all of life was created.

      1. Marko Avatar

        I’m not sure where justice or fairness comes into play here?
        It simply states that there are other dimensions besides our know physical universe. There seems more than enough to explore in this seeming endless universe we are now currently in. We don’t even have our own planet going very well, that we need to care & focus on. So I’m not sure knowing other dimensions/universes well help us.

        My question revolves around the fact that people, governments, the mob, etc. often (not always) get away with murder and hurting others in many ways without consequence. At least it appears that way. Where’s the justice, fairness or consequences for such action? I thought it would make for a good discussion. Unless it doesn’t. What do others think? Neale, Raphael, you, and all the others?

        1. babybleustardust Avatar
          babybleustardust

          I didn’t mean to say we need to know every dimension. I’m happy with 3 d not. I am needing help from every HEB. Why? because they are willing and we can explore the connections between physical and nonphysical and reap a harvest of all their exchanges of love, light an multiplicity of rainbow colors and sparkle the earth with it. Of course, it does matter in answer to your last phrase. I think you’re discussion is good. That’s why I took the bait. I believe it is so that justice seems to be elusive everywhere you said, but I am just coming from the corner that says we need all corners of all life in on the act called creating more justice on earth. HEBs are helping according to CWG 4 already, but they are physical and nonphysical, and so are we, whether we know it or not.

          How to bring it up a notch, I don’t know either, but Justice is a word we can define. Here is a definition of justice:

          “just behavior or treatment:

          “a concern for justice, peace, and genuine respect for people”
          synonyms: fairness · justness · fair play · fair-mindedness · equity · [more]

          the quality of being fair and reasonable:
          “the justice of his case”

          the administration of the law or authority in maintaining this:

          the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause

          the process or result of using laws to fairly judge and punish crimes and criminals

          We need a commonality, a common language between all physical and non-physical beings of light, but we need a common language to reach those still trapped in nonjust ways and minds. So what is justice with regard to humanity? with regard to the universe? Are they the same? If enough of us seek the that lile within us because the Universe is within us, then we will have a better earth. It’s like the song I sang as a little girl, “We got the whole world in our hands. We’ve got the little bitty baby in our hands. We got the whole wide world in hour hands.” Time is important too. So, if the universe is within us, then there is a way to bring the physical expression to all life everywhere bit we have to consider time as far as creating a lighter earth goes. I know CWG4 says time is of the essence, I think. Maybe I am wrong. I don’t know. I thought it went well together, maybe not. I am all for justice everywhere. Too many times the bad guys get away, so we need a really good guy to step up. I am waiting for an alien ship to land, frankly. I am not being faceitious. I am seriously praying for that day 🙂 All we need is to shock Korea and all warmongers with a space ship and God Almighty on it. That was a good movie. Okay, I’ve rambled. Sorry but it still is intriquing your question, I mean. Thank you, Marko. Maybe someone else will write a better response about injustice.

          Love and Peace and rainbow colors spraying all over,

          Michelle.

          1. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            I would edit but I am afraid it might delete. There was a typo. Here it is corrected.

            “If enough of us seek that life within us, because the Universe is within us, then we will have a better earth.

        2. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
          Spiritual_Annie

          Marko,

          I think maybe part of it is that it does “appear” that way, from a human standpoint. There is, in my way of thinking, justice within a lifetime for most, but we may not see it. For example, my father ended up holding two jobs before he retired—a hospital janitor and a parking lot attendant. That’s a far cry from being a big fish in a big pond with realistic political ambitions. And I think his downfall probably affected him more than any prison term would have.

          I think that, regardless of whether a person or group or government, there is always the law of cause and effect. In a way, that builds justice into the system. How many “Dons” or dictators do you think have loved ones they can truly and completely trust in their inner circle—who really know them, inside and out? I’ve had those kinds of friends in my life, and I feel so very blessed by having known them. But someone who’s cruel may not be able to form those kinds of attachments, which I find just, but also very sad.

          So, those are my two cents. Or maybe a few more than that.

          Love and Blessings Always,
          ~Annie

  7. Patrick Gannon Avatar
    Patrick Gannon

    “Is it simply a physical aspect of our Universe with which we must contend, or is it a force and a source with which we may interact with purpose and intent, producing predictable and consistent results?

    The difficulty of entering into such any discussion about this is that there is no way to verify empirically or substantiate scientifically any theory that supports the second notion in the sentence above. It is rather like trying to prove that Blue is blue.

    Excuse me, but…who said so? What makes this true? Is it because everyone agrees? Is it our accepted understanding because everyone has decided it is?”
    ————————-

    God is not a physical aspect of the universe, else we would know about it. Almost everyone refers to their god or soul as “immaterial” to begin with, so I don’t understand why Neale would suggest that God might be a physical aspect of our Universe (is a Universe with a capital “U” different from a normal universe?)

    God is also not a force with which we may interact, because Quantum Field Theory has explained beyond any reasonable doubt that if such forces existed, we would know about them by now. How do you interact with an immaterial source, when you live in a material world? Answer – you don’t.

    Trying to prove that “Blue is blue” (is there a significance in the first “Blue” having a capital letter?), isn’t remotely like proving whether magical, immaterial forces that affect our natural world exist. Blue is specifically defined as a position on the electromagnetic frequency spectrum (light with a wavelength between 450 and 495 nanometres). There is no debate over the existence or definition of blue. There are as many definitions for god, as there are people who attempt to define it. Whether we all experience “blue” in the exact same way, is another story, but “blue” is about as well defined as it can be, while “god” is not well-defined at all – which in part, is why people argue about it. We can argue over whether we experience “blue” the same way, but the existence of blue is not in question. We cannot say the same for gods, because their existence is very much in question – in fact everything we know from a scientific standpoint tells us that they do not exist.

    Neale asks, “who says so?” The answer is easy. The scientific process says so. Countless experiments have explained to us how our natural world works, and there is no room for magical forces. They are unnecessary to explain things in our natural world and how it works. Obviously not everyone agrees, largely because scientific literacy is the rule, rather than the exception for our society. Few have kept up with scientific progress and state of our understanding and knowledge – in part because it means challenging our own closely held beliefs – and that’s just too painful; and partly because our educational system has been stymied by religion.

    So either Neale is going to have a series of seven articles telling us how we can have a conversation with an imaginary being, or if he wants to be honest and helpful, he can tell us how we can expand our own consciousness – something that emerges from our brain, but something we can manipulate and improve. I guess we’ll find out.

    1. Mateia Andrei (A true friend) Avatar
      Mateia Andrei (A true friend)

      “, he can tell us how we can expand our own consciousness”
      I find it amusing that CwG tells us that God can never be found in our mind.

      1. Patrick Gannon Avatar
        Patrick Gannon

        This is also something that gets my attention. “I” am my mind; my self-aware consciousness. Neale speaks of our souls as something separate from our minds; “our soul’s agenda” is a common refrain. Why should “we” our self-aware consciousness, give a hoot about some nebulous soul and its selfish agenda, particularly when it is using us to achieve that agenda, and will dump us like a rag doll for a new mind and body when it is ready to move on? “We” aren’t going along for the ride, because our consciousness cannot survive without the brain from which it emerged. If our mind was a force of some sort, we’d already know it.

    2. Adam Bricker Avatar
      Adam Bricker

      Prove that consciousness emerges from our brain

      1. Patrick Gannon Avatar
        Patrick Gannon

        Hmm. Unusual for me, but I’m having trouble posting and getting a moderator message. I’ll try again…

        Carve out a chunk of your brain and let me know how conscious you are.

        Actually science never proves anything, and we can’t “prove” consciousness emerges from the brain, but all the evidence we are collecting on an ongoing basis, consistently points to that conclusion.

  8. Marko Avatar

    Before refreshing the page I saw 38 comments. After refreshing the page there are now 30 comments & several deleted ones. Obviously there is still a problem here that needs to be addressed. This is the third posting of Neale’s blog postings that have had this happened & it’s surprising to see this glitch has not been fixed.

    1. babybleustardust Avatar
      babybleustardust

      Yes, I saw the same thing, Marko. I guess the paste button is not working correctly. When I click on the first screen, it says a different number of posts. I saw this problem, too, the other day. The ones from this thread that were mine, I deleted intentionally just clean my disqus box out.

      1. Marko Avatar

        Oh, so now we know the rest of the story!

        1. babybleustardust Avatar
          babybleustardust

          Just thought I’d share that tidbit. I liked this little piece of Neale’s writing, especially being a painter, like you, we can appreciate the color analogy. I was just thinking that there are so many variations of hues and factor in intensity or brightness of a color as well as the fact that between any two points on a line of light, there is an infinite number of opportunities and ways to express Divinity. What a multiplicity, a rainbow of opportunities, especially if we don’t use a muddy brush 🙂

  9. NealeDonaldWalsch Avatar
    NealeDonaldWalsch

    TO EVERYONE HERE….I thought we actually had the Moderator problem solved on this subset, but it turns out that now it’s still happening that some comments are being deleted. I am tell you this much: we have learned that it is not a human being doing this, it is something in the Disqus back-end programming that for some reason moderates and holds or deletes comments posted here.

    I went into the back end today and actually marked “approved” for all the comments that were being “held for review,” and lo and behold, the comments I marked “approved” have now been “deleted”. Wow. So there’s obviously a back-end glitch, and our webmaster is looking into it. I’ll keep you — you should excuse the expression — “posted.”

    1. babybleustardust Avatar
      babybleustardust

      hey I’ve been trying to click open on your video on connect about having your own CWG and can’t get it to load for my new computer. I don’t know. i’m computer illiterate. Same deal with my Paul McCartney videos on youtube and fb. Thought I would let you know. What’s the new virus thing called. Hold on. I got an email from Kaspersky’s about it. It’s called Wannacry Ransomware Attack on May 12. I don’t know Kaspersky said to get the latest to protect from it. Maybe it’s related.

      1. Patrick Gannon Avatar
        Patrick Gannon

        Wannacry Ransomware has nothing to do with this issue, babybluestardust. That malware program took over people’s computers (with old Microsoft operating systems), and threatened to destroy all their data unless they sent money using BitCoin currency.

        I’m not generally a supporter of capital punishment, but at a minimum, I propose that people who do such things should be publicly horsewhipped. 🙂

        1. babybleustardust Avatar
          babybleustardust

          Thanks for letting me know, Patrick. I am no IT person. Can’t even get these posts to stick, not even the cut and paste ones. What in the heck is bitcoin currency? I still don’t understand computerland. I know how to type and that’s about it 🙂 As far as publicly horsewhipping, I don’t know. I ought to send them my IT bill, or better yet let them pay for all my technology such hackers have cost me over the past decade. Wow I could live high on that alone 🙂

          1. Patrick Gannon Avatar
            Patrick Gannon

            I’m no expert on it, but Bitcoin is a “peer-to-peer” monetary system. A way to pay people over the internet directly using a virtual currency. As it has grown in reliance and popularity, it can now be exchanged for many other currencies.

            There are probably a couple hundred thousand merchants and 5 or 6 million individuals using it. Ransomware hackers like it because it’s hard to trace. This feature or bug, depending on how you look at it, is of concern to banks, who are slow to warm up to it, because of bitcoin’s association with illegal activity. Secure servers verify transactions, but the transaction is through two people directly without going through a central bank. Normally, if I were to buy widgets from you, I would have my bank transfer funds to your bank. Both banks have information about the transaction. You must know the phrase, “follow the money,” when trying to track a crime. With bitcoin, I can pay you directly and “following the money” becomes more difficult. On the other hand, the transaction is simpler, faster and presumably has fewer fees associated with it. I haven’t had any personal experience other than a client who wanted a satellite link to set up a bitcoin server.

            The public horsewhipping comment was obviously “tongue in cheek,” but I do think penalties should be harsh for such crimes.

          2. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            I know you’re not a horsewhipping thing 🙂 I appreciate your humor, believe me when my computer goes down I am not a happy camper. No telling what I might do with a marshmellow stick if I was camping and I couldn’t get to my computer when everyone else is asleep lol That is very informing information. I will never buy using bitcoin. Thank you. I was naïve while in France. Silly. but true. I got mugged by a thug who stole all my cash 2,500 at least. I was in Paris. He walks up and says “let me help you get a ticket.” I knew a little French like en cour de vin but other than that I coud
            t rally ask where the what is it lou or leu anyhoo I couldn’t ask where the restroom was and the ticket lady said “Parlez Francais,’ so I stepped out of line and started crying, suitcase beside me, as my painting class had left me. They were going to Spain. I stayed in Paris. We had come back from Coilloure. Anyhoo, he was so quick. Talk about a quickchange artist. He squooches up and says let me help you. He gets my ticket and I glanced down at my black leather bag with a flap, you know the artsy hippy kind it was wide open. I said wait a minute. Supraconscious kicked in and said check your money situation. I looked. Oh my God 35 cents to my name. Heart attack. What a conartist. Thank God for the American Embassy where I met a African American, handsome, gave me his chicken dinner and said “hey they call me Memphis slim.” We went sightseeing in paris, the louvre, saw the mona lisa disco music. It was fun but my grandma wasn’t too happy when they told her “your granddaughter is destitute.” She said let me talk to her when the French embassy lady spoke to her. I said hi grandma. She said what in the hell are you doing losing 3000 dollars. I don’t know what you’re going to do. You can just stay there is all I know. She sent me three more thousand so I could go to the louvre in style. What a grandma man. I am rambling but have a good day. Thanks for the headsup. I am naïve I said. I think there is good in all life.

            Love ya,
            Patrick

    2. Raphael Avatar
      Raphael

      Just passing through here…you might want to know that I have had the exact same problem on another blog that uses Disqus, Alternet. It is a Disqus problem, it seems. And is does happen more often when I edit the comment, but not always. I hope this help. Best of luck!

      1. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
        Spiritual_Annie

        *waving as an old friend passes through*

        1. Raphael Avatar
          Raphael

          Aniin! (it means Hi)
          Waving back!
          Take care Annie 🙂

          1. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Bonjour

      2. babybleustardust Avatar
        babybleustardust

        hey Indian guy 🙂 mewabechief I am wondering are you Cherokee I forgot what you said. The posts on disqus get moderated, and then sometimes Neale checks and reposts. I have two that need reposting 🙂 I hope you’re doing well. Love ya!

        1. Raphael Avatar
          Raphael

          Doing well thank you, I hope you are too…
          I am of Annishinaabe (Ojibway) and Catalan (northern Spain) ancestry, by way of French speaking Canada…which means that I love mediterranean food and am an unrepentant pagan, with also a bit of French culture, but that one doesn’t stick much 🙂
          Take care!

          1. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            hey they take five hour lunch breaks, so that culture sticks, but I always ah need to carry a dictionary. In the south of france, they are very obliging of damsels in distress, but in Paris it’s all parlez francais or not a ticket. wow anyhoo, I have never heard of Ojibway but Catalan. yeah. I am familiar with Catalan. A pagan indian. Is there such a thing 🙂 what’s your totem. Are you an eagle or a wolfman indian 🙂

          2. Raphael Avatar
            Raphael

            I am more of an owl…but I don’t claim to be, I have just been told. I also had a sacred dream about it, long before being told by an Anishinaabe medicine man (a real old time one, not a fake).
            Anishinaabe (Ojibway) people are mostly in Canada…some are in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They originated from the east coast and migrated west and north centuries ago because of a vision an old man had about a new people (Europeans) coming to take their land, and that if they did not move they would be destroyed.

          3. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            wow Canada I would love to go fishing in Canada. I’d need an indian to carry me and the canoe and a parasol and a picnic or we’d eat fish and have a cookout. My high school boy friend went fishing there a lot. Claimed I am not fit cuz I would need a parasol 🙂 He knew me. A real medicine man. Anishinaabe. I’ll have to look it up. Looks like the medicine man knew what he was toking or smoking. Anyway, I need one to fix my leg just a little. I shrunk. I am five three in one foot and five three and a half in the other. Not good so I am going to stretch it with pure thought and a medicine man 😉 Love to you 🙂

    3. Patrick Gannon Avatar
      Patrick Gannon

      It may have something to do with what login engine people sign in with. I use my Facebook login and seem to have few if any problems. Others with Disqus login have described problems.

    4. babybleustardust Avatar
      babybleustardust

      Disqus did it again 🙁 I wrote a grand response. It posted then dropped. I didn’t delete. Boomshakalaka I’m tired of disqus 🙁

      1. Marko Avatar

        How about you copy your responses before posting just to be safe?

        1. babybleustardust Avatar
          babybleustardust

          oh god. I never do. Thanks. I guess I’ll try to repost. I’ll try to control alt v and copy it in again 🙂

        2. babybleustardust Avatar
          babybleustardust

          alright. here it is. The following is a test. Please check your monitor to see if you tv can read the following colors: magenta, fuscia, cyan, yellow, green, blue, white. beep beep

          hey Marko,

          Wouldn’t it be interesting to line your question up next to today’s fb post from
          CWG 4? Check it out. The word universe and inner-dimensionality are defined in a most intriguing way to me and place this in conjunction with the word justice. Maybe we can create something on your interesting thread here. Here it is from CWG4

          Q: Now what I would really like to do is take that close-up glance at what living as an awakened species would look like—and how humans can create and experience life in a new way on Earth.
          I want to go over again what you said in our previous conversations about how advanced beings from outer space live.
          A: I will be happy to, but first you must understand that I am not talking about beings from “outer space” as you have defined it.
          Q: What do you mean “as I have defined it”? Outer space is outer space. It’s the part of the cosmos that exists off this planet. It’s the rest of the universe. That’s how I define it. How do you define it?
          A: Well, I’m going to quote your metaphysical master, William Shakespeare here:
          “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
          Q: Which means?
          A: Which means there are more things in what you call “outer space” than are dreamt of in your cosmology.
          When you refer to “beings from outer space,” you are referring to that part of the universe of which you are aware. Yet the universe is much larger and far more inter-dimensional than you may think.
          Entities from the limited aspect of All That Exists that you call “outer space” are currently manifesting as physical entities, just as you are. And like humans, not all “beings from outer space” are peaceful, as I have already noted. Some are, and some are not.
          Even those who are peaceful nevertheless occasionally behave violently, just as humans who see themselves as peaceful sometimes behave violently.
          Q: To put it mildly. Many humans kill other humans.
          A: Exactly. So when I refer to beings who are choosing to help you, and when I describe the new way humanity could choose to live based on how this awakened species lives, I am referring to entities who are not from the celestial realm in which beings experience themselves as only or primarily physical.
          Q: You’ve got my attention.
          A: I am referring to life forms existing in Another Dimension.
          Q: A dimension where the entities are not physical?
          A: A dimension where they need not be. A dimension where they can be, if they wish to be, if they choose to “take on” what you would call a physical form, but where doing so is not required for them to have the experience for which all of life was created.

    5. babybleustardust Avatar
      babybleustardust

      alright, Neale. Time for the webguy again. Another post bit the dust. Here it is:

      I didn’t mean to say we need to know every dimension. I’m happy with 3 d not. I am needing help from every HEB. Why? because they are willing and we can explore the connections between physical and nonphysical and reap a harvest of all their exchanges of love, light an multiplicity of rainbow colors and sparkle the earth with it. Of course, it does matter in answer to your last phrase. I think you’re discussion is good. That’s why I took the bait. I believe it is so that justice seems to be elusive everywhere you said, but I am just coming from the corner that says we need all corners of all life in on the act called creating more justice on earth. HEBs are helping according to CWG 4 already, but they are physical and nonphysical, and so are we, whether we know it or not.
      How to bring it up a notch, I don’t know either, but Justice is a word we can define. Here is a definition of justice:
      “just behavior or treatment:
      “a concern for justice, peace, and genuine respect for people”
      synonyms: fairness · justness · fair play · fair-mindedness · equity · [more]
      the quality of being fair and reasonable:
      “the justice of his case”
      the administration of the law or authority in maintaining this:
      the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause
      the process or result of using laws to fairly judge and punish crimes and criminals
      We need a commonality, a common language between all physical and non-physical beings of light, but we need a common language to reach those still trapped in nonjust ways and minds. So what is justice with regard to humanity? with regard to the universe? Are they the same? If enough of us seek the that lile within us because the Universe is within us, then we will have a better earth. It’s like the song I sang as a little girl, “We got the whole world in our hands. We’ve got the little bitty baby in our hands. We got the whole wide world in hour hands.” Time is important too. So, if the universe is within us, then there is a way to bring the physical expression to all life everywhere but we have to consider time as far as creating a lighter earth goes. I know CWG4 says time is of the essence, I think. Maybe I am wrong. I don’t know. I thought universe and justice went well together, maybe not. I am all for justice everywhere. Too many times the bad guys of earth and elsewhere get away, so we need a really good guy to step up and unify. If “a concern for justice, peace, and genuine respect for people” matters, then we need to be aware of showing “a concern for jusstice, peace, and genuine respect not only for people but All Life everywhere.” I am waiting for an alien ship to land, frankly. I am not being faceitious. I am seriously praying for that day 🙂 All we need is to shock Korea and all warmongers with a space ship and God Almighty on it. That was a good movie. Okay, I’ve rambled. Sorry but it still is intriquing your question, I mean. Thank you, Marko. Maybe someone else will write a better response about injustice.

      Love and Peace and rainbow colors spraying all over,
      Michelle.

  10. Heyward Boyce Avatar
    Heyward Boyce

    Good stuff

  11. Jethro Avatar
    Jethro

    “I’m going to use this space in the days ahead to share with you how you can experience having your own conversation with God (everyone is having it, but not everyone is experiencing it as that) and observe it bringing direct benefit to your life, in 7 easy steps.”

    FINALLY! Back to the program.

    “I’m not an atheist, and I don’t think I can call myself a pantheist. “”””We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn’t know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God.”””” We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws. Our limited minds grasp the mysterious force that moves the constellations. I am fascinated by Spinoza’s pantheism, but admire even more his contribution to modern thought because he is the first philosopher to deal with the soul and body as one, and not two separate things.”” – Albert Einstein

    1. Patrick Gannon Avatar
      Patrick Gannon

      How long are you going to stay this time, Jethro? Over and over you get into long discussions and then delete all your posts, leaving holes in discussions. What is the rationale behind this? It seems senseless to respond to any of your posts, given that in a matter of time you’re going to delete them.

      Senseless though it may be, I have to ask, “what point are you making?” You cut/pasted a quote from Einstein in which he considers the concept of pantheism. So what? Einstein did not believe in a life after death, so Einstein certainly didn’t envision a conversation with Neale’s god.

      1. Jethro Avatar
        Jethro

        I am here because Neale wrote a few books that I really enjoy the majority of the content. While I also enjoy the majority of the people on this site, I’m here to know more about the content of those books. I know that after the initial subject matter has been discussed, the conversations stray a bit and can be enjoyable as well. If have nothing to prove or disprove to anyone. I share my thoughts as I have them and hope I am adding something to the thoughts of anyone who cares to have them. I do not intend to bring people here, I do not intend to make anyone want to leave, I do not feel a need to guard anyone from Neales information, and will share those parts that makes sense to me. I have remained as I am at all times ant true to my own thoughts on any given subject while trying (in most cases) not to be insulting. Spending a week talking about a shadow moderator, instigated by fear of a hacker was tiring.
        Bottom line, if Neale isn’t going to post anything new, I have no reason to be here.

        The first time I deleted my account, I needed to switch email addresses and chose to use my real name, for some reason, that became the topic and I became a dirty dog. The second time was to change my name back to jethro, everything went back to normal. Third time was just personal and the conversation was going nuts anyway. This last time, it looked like once again, the CWG conversation was going south. As I said, I have no reason to be here otherwise.

        In my last post to you, I said the idea of having the abrahamic god nullified was ok by me if it would stop a lot of the actions created by the belief of such a God. When we agree, you feel no need to discuss it any further and you didn’t respond for a couple days so I assumed you were done talking about it. I waited.

        Einstein… I liked what I read. That’s it. I shared it. If you don’t enjoy it, take nothing from it. But the part I really like concerning the understanding of the God I grew up with is ……”We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn’t know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God”…… I took a test stating I was a pantheist, so was reading to find out what that is. I’ve been reading about Einstein as well.
        Neale is the first person I have ever heard/read that held a close idea of God that I have. I’m sure I’m not the only one, which explains the number of books sold. Most of the posts on Facebook sound like Christians hanging on to Christianity or people making fun of Neales thoughts. I can’t follow Facebook anyway, so here I am. I know you don’t agree with any of it but you have some great views that give me another perspective. Your views, even though against have educational notes as well and that’s to be applauded. My opinion.

        I’m here for me, I have to put me together and decide if what I choose to believe is right for me and I think that spirituality is very personal, not something to be used to judge others but to allow me to look past poor behaviors and appreciate everyone regardless of their beliefs, or color, or culture, or whatever it is that makes them different. There is less than ten of us regularly posting here, at the end of every day, I’d like to be able to say I care about each one. There is close to 5000 people in my town, same thing, I hope at the end of every day I can say I care about each one of them. My core beliefs have a lot to do with that decision. If I cannot serve the positive construction of those beliefs… I have no business here.

        Any other questions?

      2. Jethro Avatar
        Jethro

        I am here because Neale wrote a few books that I really enjoy the majority of the content. While I also enjoy the majority of the people on this site, I’m here to know more about the content of those books. I know that after the initial subject matter has been discussed, the conversations stray a bit and can be enjoyable as well. If have nothing to prove or disprove to anyone. I share my thoughts as I have them and hope I am adding something to the thoughts of anyone who cares to have them. I do not intend to bring people here, I do not intend to make anyone want to leave, I do not feel a need to guard anyone from Neales information, and will share those parts that makes sense to me. I have remained as I am at all times ant true to my own thoughts on any given subject while trying (in most cases) not to be insulting. Spending a week talking about a shadow moderator, instigated by fear of a hacker was tiring.
        Bottom line, if Neale isn’t going to post anything new, I have no reason to be here.
        The first time I deleted my account, I needed to switch email addresses and chose to use my real name, for some reason, that became the topic and I became a dirty dog. The second time was to change my name back to jethro, everything went back to normal. Third time was just personal and the conversation was going nuts anyway. This last time, it looked like once again, the CWG conversation was going south. As I said, I have no reason to be here otherwise.
        In my last post to you, I said the idea of having the abrahamic god nullified was ok by me if it would stop a lot of the actions created by the belief of such a God. When we agree, you feel no need to discuss it any further and you didn’t respond for a couple days so I assumed you were done talking about it. I waited.
        Einstein… I liked what I read. That’s it. I shared it. If you don’t enjoy it, take nothing from it. But the part I really like concerning the understanding of the God I grew up with is ……”We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn’t know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God”…… I took a test stating I was a pantheist, so was reading to find out what that is. I’ve been reading about Einstein as well.
        Neale is the first person I have ever heard/read that held a close idea of God that I have. I’m sure I’m not the only one, which explains the number of books sold. Most of the posts on Facebook sound like Christians hanging on to Christianity or people making fun of Neales thoughts. I can’t follow Facebook anyway, so here I am. I know you don’t agree with any of it but you have some great views that give me another perspective. Your views, even though against have educational notes as well and that’s to be applauded. My opinion.
        I’m here for me, I have to put me together and decide if what I choose to believe is right for me and I think that spirituality is very personal, not something to be used to judge others but to allow me to look past poor behaviors and appreciate everyone regardless of their beliefs, or color, or culture, or whatever it is that makes them different. There is less than ten of us regularly posting here, at the end of every day, I’d like to be able to say I care about each one. There is close to 5000 people in my town, same thing, I hope at the end of every day I can say I care about each one of them. My core beliefs have a lot to do with that decision. If I cannot serve the positive construction of those beliefs… I have no business here.
        Any other questions?

        1. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
          Spiritual_Annie

          *standing ovation*

          Seems pretty clear (and also pretty cool) to me.

      3. Patrick Gannon Avatar
        Patrick Gannon

        Jethro, I see a response in email that does not show up here, so obviously there are still issues with the platform. Do you login with a Disqus account or do you use Facebook, Twitter or Google to login?

        You sort of explained why you deleted all your posts, but it makes no sense to me. It strikes me as either rude or petty – the kid doesn’t like the way the game is going so he takes the ball they were using in the game and goes home with it. To me, that’s kind of what you do when you walk out and delete all your posts. You leave big holes in the discussion, so anyone who might come along afterwards will have difficulty making any sense of the conversation. That’s not fair. While a handful of us dominate the discussion, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other people who follow it. Because someone doesn’t immediately – or ever – respond to a post, doesn’t mean you should delete it! This doesn’t happen in other blogs I participate in, so to me, it’s very strange, and you aren’t the only one who does it.

        As for Einstein, it’s a shame your post doesn’t appear here, because the explanation you gave for why you posted the quote is very clear and pertinent, and what you should have perhaps provided in the first place. On many blogs I participate in, there’s a basic rule – you don’t just post a meme, quote, link or video and that’s it; you have to include some kind of opinion, question, or viewpoint, relevent to the meme. You did that very well in the post that doesn’t show up here, unfortunately.

        I too, discovered by accident, that I was a pantheist, back before I understood that CwG was only another religion of unsupported beliefs. I believed for a while that “God” was everything – but what does that imply? It implies that photons have happy/sad states or something absurd like that. It implies that there is a “state” or “degree of freedom” in every particle (quantum field) that somehow reflects a state of consciousness. How else could this god or consciousness or essential essence or whatever fluffy words one chooses, have any effect on our natural world otherwise? Alas, there is no such thing, or we would have found it. Photons do not go whizzing through space thinking about how bored they are and planning to land on a human so they can create a skin cancer.

        I strongly suspect that if Einstein was alive today, with access to all we know about the core theory, the “standard model” of physics that describes our natural world in excrutiating, and experimentally confirmed detail, that he would be a strict atheist. Of course, he doesn’t identify himself as a pantheist to begin with, though the quote seems to indicate that he was leaning that way.

        We have to remember as well that he lived in a time when declaring oneself to be an atheist could be dangerous. I think there are a number of historical figures who called themselves Deists or agnostics back then, but who would call themselves atheists today.

        1. Jethro Avatar
          Jethro

          I log in with discus. Your successful posts are due to the fact that you’ve been here so long. After I’ve been here a while, it will stop. Annie doesn’t have problems nor does Marko either. I don’t know what happened to Kirsty, she might have changed something? Michele deletes a lot so she will have problems. Raphael has had the worst time, I don’t know why. But it will slow down the longer he is signed in.

          I never deleted my posts, I signed out. That deletes my posts. I’m sorry that it has the effect that it does, I wish it didn’t but I’m not the programmer. I would leave them if I could. If Neale neglects to follow through with posting his next 7 articles until I sign out again, I’ll know I need to stay gone.

          I tried to repost 3 or 4 times, I’m new again, so there it is. I’ll try again later. All 3 post were found to be spam… I’m going to try something like splitting them up a bit.

          A religion old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science, might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge.
          Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot (1994) p. 77….
          So pantheism started with Spinoza in 1632? Nothing new going on. We can’t have a new thought anymore. But even Sagan knew it would come about as a religion, But, you and I don’t believe in religion. What now?

          Einstein claimed to follow nothing. He also made no claims to atheism. I’m looking into it because I have not found his finally if there is is one. I’m ok with that because I have no finally. I only know that atheism is not real. No person is without being in awe. Being in awe creates… something… by whatever definition. Even you say it’s possible to change your beliefs and stated Annie has the highest probability for doing so. I know so far that Einstein believed something. I want to know. So do you, or you wouldn’t still be here listening and arguing with this silly crap! I do take into account the period in Which Einstein was raised.

          1. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Jethro,

            Kristen used to be Kirsten, but she has said she had many problems before she made that change. Mewabe changed to Raphael recently, but he also had problems before he made that change. Michelle has changed (I think) more than once before restarting as BabyBleuStardust. I was on Disqus long before I started coming here. I’m an old-timer. ?

            I love Carl Sagan. If one were to replace the term “religion” with “spirituality,” he’d be spot on where some of us are today.

            I hope my beliefs never stop changing, because I continue to have new experiences and am exposed to new information all the time. It’s called growth, and I see it as an essential part of being a human. I don’t expect that will ever stop, on this side of “death” or the other, because my Soul grows and evolves as well. So, in a way, I don’t think there is a “final” understanding as change is a fundamental part of existence and of Divinity.

            But, then, I’ve always been irregular, so I don’t fit into any labels or boxes. I’m just Annie.

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          2. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            Not fitting snugly into a crowd is a good thing I believe. I am just me as well. Very fluid me. Change is inevitable, but I don’t have to like it every time, and don’t, but sometimes require it. Everyone is correct in some respect, all that’s required is another person to agree and confirm. So anything we say is correct… and incorrect… depending.

          3. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Jethro,

            I can’t quite tell if you’re being philosophical, or you’re just waffling. I’ll take it as philosophical, though there are times when waffling comes in handy, especially in relationships.

            Yep, life is a process, so change is unavoidable. I only have problems with it when someone tries to force me to change into something or someone I’m not. Otherwise, I usually just sigh a bit, then decide what my choices are and pick whatever change I believe is going to serve me rather than restrain me. I don’t much care for chains, either.

            Uh oh, I feel another song coming on… “Chain, chain, chain… chain of fools!” Can’t hear that one anymore without seeing John Travolta dancing to it. What an Archangel Michael, was he. Fighting bulls and enjoying his pie.

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          4. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            That was an awesome movie! I don’t know what waffling is… I was being philosophical then. I’m not one to be forced but it happens, after three marriages and 4 kids, I can say it happens a lot.

          5. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Jethro,

            “Waffling” in my use of the term is kinda like sitting on the fence rather than picking one side or another, often used by people who would prefer to keep the peace rather than argue. “So anything we say is correct… and incorrect …depending” could be read as not deciding one way or the other, which comes in handy when trying to avoid a heated discussion. Especially with a life partner.

            Yours sounded, in the context of other comments you’ve made, more philosophical. I only mentioned waffling because of your previous comments about your saying your wife’s wrong and then suddenly saying she’s right, and then laughing about it which upsets her until she understands your mind simply expanded in the midst of the discussion.

            Michael is such a wonderfully different movie, and I’ve long been a fan of Jean Stapleton ever since she played Edith Bunker. “Oh… OooOh… OOoooh, Archie!” Said with incredible facial expressions as she went from point A to point B (and sometimes point C) in her head after Archie made an off-color remark. All in the Family was one of the few TV shows my Mama enjoyed because she so related to Edith, which gave her an opportunity to laugh at herself and feel less unique. (I also like several of the other actors in Michael.)

            Mama once related that on a morning my father was in a bad mood while getting ready for work and griped that it was raining, she automatically apologized. A “typical Edith Bunker move” she called it. I’m grateful Mama reached the point where she could laugh at herself about things like that, years after the divorce. She also cooked a special meal served on our Sunday China and popped open a bottle of Cold Duck every July 17th, the anniversary of when the divorce became final. I didn’t catch onto it until I was in my teens because she tried to let us kids each decide if or what kind of relationship we chose to have with our father. “Oh, it’s just a special anniversary,” she’d say when asked, sounding like airhead Edith Bunker, but with a grin on her face.

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          6. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Hi everybody :0) I used to have a crush on Carl Sagan. millions and billions of stardust particles lightyears in the galaxies are smiling I don’t know why I get a crush on all my teachers but I do, plus scorpios are rumored to be sensual. oh god. I didn’t say that silly pleasure word lol Anyhoo, I’ve been many names, Annie. Skywalker, Lukewalker, Wingmakingthing, babybleu, stardust, moondust, helen of Egypt and oh well. What’s in a name. We just change it again and again. So, you’re an “irregular” and don’t fit “labels.” You know what’s going to happen. Some corporation is going to come along, check you out, stick a 99 Cent label on you, box you up Aagh and send you off to misfit land. that would be a nightmare unless someone nice buys you. I am not facetious. I am just me 😉 Love ya,

            Michelle

          7. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            ps as you can see, I am highly irregular and incognito always on the run from regulars 😉 can’t stand boxes. Once I turned a square box into a sphere lol true story wow it is hard to do. so they can’t catch me. I’ll just turn them into a sphere lol

          8. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            I like spheres. Can’t be cornered. LOL ?

          9. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Michelle,

            Oh, no! I’ve been​ labeled: “misfit”! Now I’ll have to change again. ?

            Reminds me of one of those claymation Christmas stories they show every year, where there’s a misfit elf who wants to be a dentist and ends up finding the land of misfit toys. I always wanted to go there, to tell them they were all unique and blessed to be​ so. Ahh, the minds of children.

            There’s a story behind my choosing to be called Annie rather than Ann, including a party to celebrate​, but it’s rather longish and I’m not sure how well it would be received. Suffice it to say it was a rite of passage in my healing journey. I’m a believer in rituals to mark such things, and was fortunate enough to have indulgent friends who were up for it.

            Them there corporations are gonna have to catch me first!

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          10. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            I know. I love that story. There’s another one that I love. Rudolph of course. With his nose so bright. That was really my favorite as a kid. I would watch Rudolph over and over. Actually, it is the same movie with the misfit toys 1964 version. I looked it up. Rudolph is my hero. You know there is a lot to learn from Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer. He was sad he was different and then along came Santa Claus. He learned to appreciate his unique bright red nose and to fly in his santa space ship just to see the night sky. wow wee Anyhoo, I didn’t mean you were a bad thing worth only 99 cents. I don’t know why corporations think we misfits are so stupid. Why not add a penny and make it a whole dollar. We wouldn’t have to round off a thing.. We would just sound off like Rudolph. Life would be a lot twinklier if we were all like Rudolph.

          11. Patrick Gannon Avatar
            Patrick Gannon

            “I never deleted my posts, I signed out. That deletes my posts”

            What do you mean by you “signed out”? You mean you quit Disqus and then joined it again? I can sign out without losing any of my posts. If I quit Disqus, then I would expect that my posts might be deleted – though that seems like a crappy policy.

            I still think the problem might be logging in with Disqus instead of Facebook, Google or Twitter accounts.

            Pantheism started long before Spinoza – he just gave it a name. Eastern religions are often largely pantheistic.

            I agree that Einstein did not refer to himself as an atheist, but I think he would be far more likely to do so today, when confronted with the significant knowledge we’ve obtained since then.

            ” I only know that atheism is not real.” It’s very real, and practically everyone is an atheist – and an agnostic. Atheism is simply a lack of belief in the existence of personal gods. The word is often used to infer more than that, but all it refers to is a lack of belief. Researchers have identified about 3000 different gods from societies around the world. The only difference between me and a Christian is that they don’t believe in 2,999 gods and I don’t believe in just one more.

            All of us, believers and non-believers alike agree that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God. We have no evidence for gods, so all of us lack knowledge, hence all of us are agnostics.

            Of course the way these words are used in society are often a bit different from what they actually mean. An atheist is seen as an evil person who hates god, while an agnostic is a junior atheist. It’s silly, because – how do you hate a god that you don’t believe exists?

            I know longer think Annie has a high probability of changing her beliefs. She’s like a fundagelical – the more evidence you show her, the more she clings to her beliefs. It’s something mental health researchers are studying – it’s quite prevalent, and probably has something to do with the way people think – what part of their brain they use. She’s certainly not unique in this regard. There are many articles on the subject in scientific journals and newsletters. I probably see one a week. We know this is a real phenomenon, not just related to religion. You can show a hard-core believer of a politician or a political party, direct evidence of wrong-doing, and the believer will come away, more convinced than before, that their candidate or party is in the right. It apparently has something to do with how our two thinking systems work.

            People can change their own beliefs, but they have to do it themselves. They have to be courageous enough to challenge their own beliefs and actively seek out things that challenge and counter their beliefs, as I did, and continue to do. I’m reading an extensive article about ESP right now, that purports to have evidence for the phenomenon. As it turns out, the researcher came up with a good way to design experiments that can be replicated by other researchers (this has always been largely unsuccessful in this kind of research), however while his technique is praised, problems were uncovered in how he did the experiments, and thus the results called into question. I haven’t quite finished the article, but it looks like the researcher contributed to the scientific process, without actually advancing his own theory much, if at all.

          12. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            Quit the sight is correct.

            I didn’t have many, if any, problems until I “quit the site” and signed back in. It’ll stop with time.

            I’m sure many religions or spiritual beliefs were around long before they were recognized as anything more than a thought.

            Most scientists are atheists, so it stands to reason Einstein would have followed. But… not all scientists are atheists.

            Atheist, Christian, Buddhist, Pantheist, etc.. They are all just descriptions of human thoughts. Names assigned to groups who think in kind or the individual identifying or identified as one in the group. They are all 100% true or 100% false due to the fact that its all thought. A person will instantly defend the thought they believe to be correct and deny all others are true.
            “The only difference between me and a Christian is that they don’t believe in 2,999 gods and I don’t believe in just one more.”….. This is one of the best quotes I’ve seen. I’m a little jealous I hadn’t thought of it before.
            A person that doesn’t believe in God is just that, an atheist is someone who keeps saying there’s no god and will argue it until out of breath. It’s the activist part of it that requires a title. Not that it’s just one group that does that at all. After my little test that states I am a pantheist and doing a little reading, I’m not 100% pantheist. I won’t give up any part of my thoughts on the subject to help me “fit-in”.

            I could use some help with something and you are very qualified to help me work it out. Two problems, 1) what do we call (Scientifically)the combined thought of all humanity shared? For example; It’s a popular thought by the majority of humanity that killing without purpose is wrong. What do we call the shared thought? 2) What do we call (scientifically) that thought we have that overrides original ideas. For example; a man sees a chance to steal a million bucks, his thoughts are now in disagreement, one thought sees a chance to make life easy, but that little voice in the back ground says its wrong, then decides its wrong to take what isn’t his and abandons the thought of stealing. what is that little voice called? This is not a trick question with hidden agendas. I wish to know what you personally call them.

            Annie is probably thinking the same thing about you. Wars are fought over this stubbornness to hold onto beliefs especially when that belief is attacked. Try telling a Precontemplative alcoholic that he has a problem with alcohol. We are raised to defend our beliefs, we are raised to never admit to wrong doing if we believe we are right. We must win every fight, after we have won, we can admit we might have been wrong. It would be beneficial to try something different but who will teach it? Humanity believes it must fight for all that is right but can’t agree on what is right. Remove God from Neale’ message and the idea of acceptance and all that Kumbaya stuff will make sense to a larger crowd. With the word God in there, the whole message is bogus to those insulted by God or belief in a God that is not described as their own. Bottom line, Neale has a great message, its just not worded to be accepted by all of humanity. Only those with open minds will develop the ability to gather the wonderful parts of the message and discard the parts that don’t fit without being angry about it.

            I agree, people Can change their own beliefs and will when the benefit of doing so is proven. It happens daily in rehab offices all over the planet and sadly with every recruit into ISIS. The problem I see that’s most prevailing is having to change harmless beliefs to fit in. It’s going to take a lot of proving for me to believe in some forms of magic. The more I watch ghost buster shows, the more I see a group of people that psyches themselves out for the show and then proves absolutely nothing. Every camera on earth has auto focus and still can’t capture a clear picture of spaceships or bigfoot, or objects moved by telekinesis. All blurry or at the edge of the camera…AND blurry.

          13. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            “‘The only difference between me and a Christian is that they don’t believe in 2,999 gods and I don’t believe in just one more.’….. This is one of the best quotes I’ve seen. I’m a little jealous I hadn’t thought of it before.”

            The only difference between me and being tied to any one of the multitude of Gods is my understanding they’re all faces of the one that’s both all and none of them. Each serves a purpose for those who believe in them, and can be a stepping stone on the path to the understanding ​that they’re all facets of an infinitely faceted Divinity.

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          14. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            An astounding Yes!! Every idea of God is a new idea as old as time itself, if human thought were to be as old as time.

          15. Patrick Gannon Avatar
            Patrick Gannon

            Yes. Isn’t it astounding that so many ways to avoid truth have been developed by a primate that became aware of its own mortality, and in fear, has tried ever since, to deny it.

          16. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            I’ll bet it started as a calming story for children afraid of dying who grew up believing it until it was written as truth. Kinda like me and Santa, gnomes, and leprechauns. I can’t catch the gnomes moving but I know the truth.

          17. Patrick Gannon Avatar
            Patrick Gannon

            OK, I understand why your posts disappear, but I still question why you have to “quit” the site. Just stop responding till the next article that catches your interest.

            I didn’t originate the 2999 gods quote. It’s been out there a while. Atheists are still in the closet, just like LGBTs. You can’t run for most offices, you can lose jobs or business deals by “coming out” as a atheist. Sometimes repressed groups have to be a bit vociferous in order to convince others to come out, as well as to face the prejudice that confronts them. Atheists would be less evangelical, if believers were less angelical, and in particular if they didn’t use their position to impose their beliefs on others. Fighting that is a worthy cause and a little evangelicalism is justified. How is telling atheists to shut up any different from telling minorities, disabled, LGBTs to be less vocal?

          18. Patrick Gannon Avatar
            Patrick Gannon

            “1) what do we call (Scientifically)the combined thought of all humanity shared? For example; It’s a popular thought by the majority of humanity that killing without purpose is wrong. What do we call the shared thought?”

            I’m not sure that such a thing (shared thought) exists. What you are calling “shared thoughts” I would think of as shared, or evolved genetic and societal traits. A society that kills without reason is less likely to survive and evolve than one which does not. An early primate that evolves altruistic traits, takes care of its young, and others in the tribe, continues to evolve, while one that does not do so, is less likely to survive. What humans share is a genome. In some sense it could be argued that the genome is the organism, and we are but the biological machines that allow it to continue to survive and evolve.

          19. Patrick Gannon Avatar
            Patrick Gannon

            “2) What do we call (scientifically) that thought we have that overrides original ideas. For example; a man sees a chance to steal a million bucks, his thoughts are now in disagreement, one thought sees a chance to make life easy, but that little voice in the back ground says its wrong, then decides its wrong to take what isn’t his and abandons the thought of stealing. what is that little voice called?”

            This is a function of our evolved brain. We have two thinking systems in our brain. System 1, the reptilian brain, is the one that developed early in our evolution, and its goal was to keep us alive. It is largely an automatic brain. You don’t stop to question your elders, when they say, “MOVE. Snake!,” you just do it. This brain serves us well in a primitive environment, but is an impediment to thinking in a civilized society. System 2 is our cognitive brain. This is the thinking system that is deliberative and skeptical. This thinking system is what tells us that dreams are not real. This brain sometimes malfunctions, leading us to think things that are not real, really are; or it fails to tell us that stealing that money is going to have consequences if things don’t go well. If System 2 is not fully operational, you’re going to take the money, and end up in jail. We’re learning more and more that people really do have limits on how responsible they are for their actions, because of how the brain works.

            For an excellent review of how the brain works, I’ll direct you to an article I read recently about Elon Musk’s new company developing body/mind interfaces. In order to explain the challenge, the author has to first explain how the mind works, and he gives a very good review, and one that is much easier and more humorous to read than what is found in technical journals. Check out WaitButWhy and read the article about “Neuralink.”

            Jetho, I read everything I can about developments in consciousness. It’s just like the young earth creationists. We NEVER find evidence to support a six day creation, but regularly and consistently find evidence supporting evolution and a 4.5 billion year old earth, confirming scientific predictions along the way. The same thing is happening in the study of consciousness. Everything we learn points to consciousness as being an emergent quality of the brain, and there are new studies and articles coming out all the time as a lot of money is being spent on this research now. We’re going to figure it out, and if it turns out, as I fully expect, that Neale’s universal consciousness is a pipe dream, what next? How will we change when faced with the reality that the death of the brain is the death of our consciousness? I’ll tell you. We’ll figure out how to put that consciousness into computers and humanoids. Not in my life, of course, but within a century, if we survive that long.

            I’m reading a book by Daniel Dennett in which he seems to be proposing that our self-aware consciousness developed largely as a result of the invention of language, and that helps explain our fast evolutionary spurt about 50,000 years ago. His work is based on Richard Dawkins’ proposal for memes that evolve much like genes, and Dennett sees words as memes, carrying ideas and evolving; and this process, I think he is proposing, went hand in hand with the development of the (System 2) brain, as those whose brains supported language passed on that advantage, while others who did not, weren’t seen as good mates, and fell by the wayside – all this taking place over many thousands of years, of course. Perhaps this is why the Neanderthals didn’t make it. Perhaps they did not master language as well or at all.

            This is a wild ride we are going through. In one sense, human evolution has stalled, given that people who would have failed to pass on their genes only a century ago, do so today. The less educated and presumably less intelligent are vastly out breeding the other end of the scale, which does not bode well for us as a species. This is already having an effect on human evolution, as some recent studies have noted.

            On the other hand, our entire information system has radically changed. In the old days, the hierarchy was very clear – from authority to pupil. Parent to children, teacher to children, church to congregants, government to citizens. The flow of information has always been one to many, but now it is many to many thanks to the Internet. This is radically changing things, and could lead to more intelligent societies, despite having less intelligent members – but that remains to be seen. It’s the power of parallel processing, such as how our brains work, vs. serial processing, which is how computers mostly work. The idea is that the correct and most useful data will bubble to the top (but like a brain, expect nonsense out of the system from time to time!)

          20. Patrick Gannon Avatar
            Patrick Gannon

            As for magic – there is only illusion. Otherwise you have to explain how the immaterial affects the material particles in our world. You have to explain how this magical force, whether it be god, soul, consciousness, universal oneness, essential essence or any other Kumbaya wording is able to overcome the strong nuclear forces that bind atoms together, without us being aware of it. Do that, and not only will a Nobel Prize await you, but you will have disproved every physics experiment ever run.

          21. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            So your answers to 1 and 2

            “1) what do we call (Scientifically) the combined thought of all humanity shared?…..
            I am not sure of your answer. The best words I have found to describe the combined thought of all humanity shared is “Common opinion”, it’s the best description I have found this far but just doesn’t do it justice.

            “2) What do we call (scientifically) that thought we have that overrides original ideas.
            Looks like your answer is our cognitive brain. That’s more scientific than voice of reason. Conscience may apply even better. The conscience is a learned work of common opinion, we understand right from wrong based on that common opinion so when our personal thoughts go against Common opinion, we do battle with our conscience. Can you think of a better description with my better description?

          22. Patrick Gannon Avatar
            Patrick Gannon

            1) I don’t know – because I don’t know that it can be said that there is a combined thought of all humanity shared. Thoughts are individual and specific to each of us. We can share ideas, but not thoughts, although our thoughts can be very similar; but each will be unique as a result of the unique brain from which it arose.

            2) I think it’s OK to refer to our conscience as a product of our System 2 thinking system. Our conscience is, I think, a byproduct of that system. (Being careful not to confuse conscience with conscious). The brain loves patterns. It puts things into pigeonholes in order simplify its job. In the old days, there was no time to contemplate. The brain recognizes the pattern of a snake and it tells the body to JUMP. Today with our System 2 thinking abilities, we have to recognize that the brain has generated these patterns for its own survival, and realize that these patterns are often wrong. System 1 says, better safe than sorry – go with the pattern. System 2 says, hang on, this might not be accurate. When the brain lacks information, it fills in the blanks. If we go with System 1, we accept the blanks that the brain filled in. If we can think cognitively with System 2, we can question whether what our brain has presented us with is entirely accurate and accept that it often is not. System 1 sees a shape walking through the woods, conjures up the “pattern” of a deer, and instructs the hunter to shoot. System 1, says, hold on a minute, let’s wait another few steps and make sure that what we are really looking at is a deer. The problem, is that in some activities – like hunting, you have shut down your System 2, and you’re at one with the sounds, smells, and sights of nature, and the hunter may react before turning System 2 back on, with disastrous effects. Meditation is actually the act of turning off System 2. It gives System 2 an opportunity to rest and reset.

            I think that our “conscience” is part of that pattern. The brain builds this outline of what, based on its evolved traits and what it has absorbed from its environment (education, experience, etc.) and uses this pattern so it can make quick decisions about a wide range of options. Most of this is opinion, based on cursory knowledge of this particular subject.

          23. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            Once again I failed to use the right word, I understand you must be very technical for reasons of proper understanding and sometimes sake of arguement but I find it frustrating quite often. So… “shared ideas” it is.
            I’m going to go with “conscience” and “common something” until further notice. Thanks.

          24. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            When I said shared thoughts I meant in a normal scientifically proven share, wouldn’t it be ridiculous for me mean anything else knowing where you stand? I gave an example. So instead of shared thoughts we will say same thoughts as each other. Most people believe killing without reason is wrong, therefore they share the same thought or for the sake of argument, most people agree on this without telekinesis or any kind of psychic phenomenon playing any part.

          25. Patrick Gannon Avatar
            Patrick Gannon

            I guess I see where you are going. I still think of it as a shared trait. The trait leads to the thought, and many of us share the same idea in our thoughts. The explanation is still natural selection and Darwinian evolution. If we share the same trait, it’s because our genes are almost identical, with only small variations between them.

            I think society plays a role, and that it’s not all genetics. Thus some societies that put more emphasis on justice and rational thought, will likely have less killing without reason, than another society that does not…. although what we may really be talking about is what each society believes to be valid reasons. For most of us, if our daughters were found not to be virgins on their wedding night, that wouldn’t be a big surprise, but in Pakistan, that might be a valid reason to kill your daughter in shame.

            Those who kill for no reason at all, almost surely have brain conditions that may be genetic, based on brain damage, or trauma, etc.

          26. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            Now that it looks like Neale is gonna keep going I’ll stick around and use your suggestion by not responding.

            Useing anyone’s spiritual beliefs or lack of beliefs against them is just wrong, and using your spirituality or religion to conduct others is just as wrong… or it doesn’t work, or something.

          27. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            I don’t delete a lot, hi Jethro. It’s just if I get sick of looking at a comment, I clear my disqus box 😉 that’s a nice thought. “No person without awe.” I am sure God would love to be called awe as in awesome. I agree that we have to consider the time period in which Einstein was thinking. Just for thinking at that time period, he was constricted by certain things, so some of the quotes I have seen by Einstein show an open mind to something out there, not necessarily an interpretation of its time of the word God or relgion, but definitely an expanded mind. I’ll find some quotes. Gotta run. Love ya, M

          28. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            I agree, time and place has a lot to do with how we see things. What we choose to believe about one thing will conduct how we believe another. Einstein was considered great because of his mind, (isn’t that the part that makes everybody great? Hmmm) anyone who has an open mind, has a great mind. Love to you too.

          29. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Jethro,

            I would add that part of Einstein’s greatness was due to his willingness to be inspired. He didn’t, or at least I’ve heard he didn’t, dwell on a problem where he felt he’d hit a brick wall. He allowed the space in his thinking, logical brain for inspiration to enter. He was also a scientist who cared about the way science was applied, the most famous example being his letter to the then President asking him not to use nuclear bombs in WWII.

            And anyone who could walk out their door every day with that hair… well, he was pretty courageous, too. ?

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          30. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            Annie, the more I find out about Einstein, the more impressed I am. He didn’t look rediculous with his hair sticking up and his mustache tied it all together.

          31. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            True. How we think of one thing impacts all others everywhere, so might as well be the best we can be and assume all is love. Open minds are the best kind for creating all love everywhere, and that is what we need more of. What the world needs now is love sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of but a higher thought is there is plenty of love to go around and round. Have a good one! Love to you 🙂

          32. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            With love we’ll find a way just give it time, what comes around goes around… Love to you!

          33. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Jethro,

            Some people are considered great for their minds. Others are considered great because of their compassionate hearts, or their personal sacrifices for a cause founded on their beliefs, or their perseverance in the face of opposition, or their honesty even when it comes at a cost, or their ability to create change through peaceful nonviolent movements. But having an open mind—being willing to expand on or deepen one’s beliefs without having to turn our backs on or villify our previous beliefs—is certainly one of the greatest things one can do.

            Everyone is capable of changing—we all do it all the time—but some are unwilling to do so on some matters. Some also don’t understand we don’t have to “throw out the baby with the bathwater,” so to speak, when a new experience or discovery comes along. I think it’s when we become so invested in a point of view that we’re unwilling to consider that there’s more we haven’t yet encountered or discovered that people’s minds become rigid and closed. The good news is, that’s a choice, and we can always choose to make a different one.

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          34. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            The mind, isn’t that the part that makes everybody great? Mind, brain, noodle, all things that come from it… thought is the maker of reality, the maker of all definitions. It creates, and changes, it stops creation and makes change unexceptable. It separates itself from itself and ties it back together. Every thought is a choice because with every thought we must choose what to think about it and then what to think about that.

            Wonderful deeds and the utmost evil is a production of the brain or mind or thought from it. Yes, it has the power to change if the user chooses to make that change, and that at times can be miraculous!

          35. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            “…[I]t’s possible to change your beliefs and stated Annie has the highest probability of doing so.”

            Hmmm… Lemme check. Nope, they haven’t changed much in decades and decades, and some even go all the way back to my childhood when I used to tell people I saw God in nature. I was regularly corrected by others who told me I saw God’s creation or God’shandiwork in nature. But I disagreed in my head, knowing I saw God. My beliefs have expanded (or maybe deepened is a better word, or both) with each direct encounter with Divinity, but my core beliefs have been the same for a long time.

            I guess I got lucky because I believed in God before the nuns and priests got hold of me. Although, as a kid I did love Jesus. (The nuns and priests, not so much.) He used to sit with me sometimes in my hidey hole and we’d talk. He didn’t mind my asking things like why God wanted animals killed and set on fire, or if my Jewish and Protestant friends were going to burn in hell for eternity even though they were nice kids, or what was up with Lot’s daughters getting him drunk in order to make babies with him.

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          36. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            Good morning Annie, I could have been more clear on that one. Patrick once stated that you may be one of few that could change the way he thinks/believes about… god or religion or something. I can’t remember. It had nothing to do with changing your thoughts/beliefs.

    2. Kristen Avatar
      Kristen

      Perfect….the Kabbalic principle, unravelling all those hidden Laws, and based on Einsteins method of teaching…to ask the studemts questions so they may seek to answer for themselves…never give then the answer or they will stop learning. Every teacher is a student and every student is a teacher.
      Take care,
      K

      1. Jethro Avatar
        Jethro

        Every teacher is a student and every student is a teacher…. that’s a fact, and either can receive a failing grade.

        1. Kristen Avatar
          Kristen

          Howdy,
          I completely disagree with you. I dont acknowledge negative words unless in teasing.
          How can attempting to learn or do something be defined as failure? Its a huge success to even try. 90% of the population dont learn or or attempt what 10% of others do. Being in tne top 10% with anything is a huge acheivement whether you acheive the goal or not.
          Why grade people? A concept of a selfish mind.
          What could be better on your headstone than “the guy or girl who tried”?
          Take care,
          K

          1. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            You are correct. Nobody actually fails. Given enough time though, someone will decide if someone is right or wrong. Everyone has an opinion. Look at how your post starts….. I received a failing grade from you. So it’s all about perception. I have to say it again, whether a teacher, or a student, you can receive a failing grade.
            I wonder, am I the teacher or the student here?

          2. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Everyone is both at the same time….my perception.

          3. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            It’s my perception as well, I was told once and agree, the best way to learn is to teach. Agree or disagree, right or wrong, correct or incorrect …. it really doesn’t matter. ultimately all anyone is looking for is acceptance. Disagree, Wrong, incorrect, usually insinuates a lack of acceptance therefore creating a grievance generally followed by anger and confusion.

            Now here’s the one that usually has me beating myself in the head against a wall…. “why can’t you just understand what I’m trying to say, If you would understand you would agree”. I’m not saying that to you at the moment, but it’s usually the source of most arguments. Well…. between my wife and I. Sometimes I realize that and start laughing during an argument and my wife just looks at me really funny. She’s not as easily entertained as I. Something else she doesn’t find entertaining, I will disagree with her then suddenly agree, she understands that I enjoy a good learning moment. So she also understands when I disagree then suddenly agree she’s about to fail at something and I’m going to be entertained by it. She says I’m being mean when I do that, I tell her no, I’m getting you too listen.

          4. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Doesn’t it feel really good, though, when you stop beating your head against a wall? The relief is… dare I say it? Heavenly. (She says with a wicked grin on her face.)

          5. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            It’s bliss!! Then I forget and do it again but I experience bliss again and so on…

          6. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Sometimes I wonder if we should be a deaf species…see how we learn resolution without words. No means to lie, give excuses or BS people. No music though….so no thanks.
            Ive never argued or debated in person, ex was a know it all/know nothing narcissistic git…thirty seconds of even trying to discuss anything ended up with me throwing something out of sheer frustration and trying not to scream!!! Cant be bothered with anyone else, I just walk and say they can believe or think what they want!….so havnt broken remotes, thrown full coffee cups through glass doors or similar for probably ten years now! I have a heart condition, its right against my collapsed sternum (pectus excavatum with costro condritis) so I cant do any forms of stress, have energy drinks etc, my heart cant physically expand, it hits my ribs and has stopped once luckily restarted when I stayed calm and threw iced water over my face as my Dr had taught me, and its too close to my ribs (cartilige between ribs is now mush not solid) so I cant have surgery on my ribs….basically stress or raised pressure, including arguing would kill me, and I cant have adreneline or chest cpr, so unless a shock machine is there within 3 minutes Im dead…arguing definately isnt worth it! Not an issue I think about, but do know I cant even get slightly frustrated or peed off, my heart goes nuts! Sitting there counting to 30 when you know your heart has stopped, before you ring an ambulance and neighbour, and will pass out in 3 minutes is the oddest freakiest thing in the world. Being in a room with your buddy Patrick would kill me!
            You and your wife should listen to Just Give Me A Reason by Pink and Nate Ruse…I love the psychology…she says they have problems, he says wtf, then it escalates.
            Take care,
            K

          7. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Kirsten,

            I feel for ya. An ex of mine has costo condritis, and that alone is bad enough. Constant pain in the winter months and when weather fronts move through. He has to carry a note that he’s not to wear a seatbelt as it’s the law in Missouri where he lives, and has a defib in his car and home because he had an infection in the heart’s sac that eventually caused damage. Then he had a stroke. No stress for him, either.

            I have a heart condition with a really long name that just basically means the arteries that feed the heart spazz shut, causing angina. I had to learn how NOT call an ambulance to give the nitro, baby aspirin and antianxiety meds, all under the tongue, a chance to work. If they reduce the pain at all, I have to keep periodically repeating the nitro until the pain is minor, then it clears up the rest of the way. It can cause a heart attack if enough of them spazz shut for long enough, but so far, so good. And I’m lucky in that it doesn’t happen often anymore, thanks to deep breathing relaxation and meditation. One little twinge of chest pains, a twinge of anxiety in reaction, then relaxation and it usually goes away. It’s second nature now. Still carry my kit with all the pills everywhere, though.

            Amazing how the same muscle in our chests can have so many different problems. I’d rather laugh or sing than stress out anyway.

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          8. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Hi ya,
            Mines not that bad luckily, just sharp pains in ribs that last about a minute but my ribs do ache in winter, it almost feels like they literally freeze. He may have developed Tieze, which is costo that doesnt even start to heal. Mines more of a problem because of pectus excavatum, sunken ribs. I got costo from an incredibly bad flu, puking and coughing at the same time, I thought Id broken a rib…that would be easier, but it was torture, couldnt move my left arm for a week. No wonder pepl call an ambulance thinking theyre having a heart attack. I had my first baby drug free, costo is more painful than childbirth when it happens.
            Not a major though, more just making sure, that like you, people know what their hearts can and cant take.
            Im completely med free, thank goodness, just Pamol and asprin in the house. Although I would never have another heart scan either, I dont want to know. But any chest pain is scary, Im constantly pressing on sore spots to make sure its ribs not heart. So far so good!
            Its freaky that without nitro you and so many others would be dead..sometimes it freaks me out that even 50 years ago half of us would be dead. Freaky concept that we are almost the walking dead!
            Take care,
            K
            Xx

          9. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            How many people would be here if not for medical science? I grew up in doctor offices and hospitals. I would not exist!

          10. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Put that on your headstone….’nature tried to kill him, but alas, thwarted by science’.
            Haha

          11. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            I have actually had the same thought. if we were deaf, how many ways would we have to express ourselves? I think there would be a lot less confusion due to language barriers!

          12. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            hey kiwi,

            How about this one? “the guy or girl who died trying” 🙂

          13. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            I like the one Neale’s shared: “Now, that was fun!” (I think that’s the way he put it, anyways.)

            I think mine should be “I gave it my All” (as in The All That Is). On a prismatic marker somewhere, casting rainbows everywhere. Where none of me will actually be, because I’ll already have moved on and my ashes scattered to the winds. Y’know—to the left and right of it, the up and down of it…

          14. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Myne might say “here lies a bag of bones, gone but not forgotten by God. How could he attempt to forget this pile of misfit ashes to ashes dust? no way could he leave her in a grave like this. She ain’t here. Go look in a mirror 🙂 ” that’s kind of long, so I’ll just be cremated and spread out where I don’t know. Family has a cemetary on a family farm but not sure I want to lay there, but the land is pretty. It’s just so confining. God’s going to have to work a little harder to find my ash 😉 I might be in the ocean so moby dick can get me or a lost sea captain looking for a mermaid who created too many ashes to be confined in an ocean. Maybe I’ll have to let the wind blow me where it does. Alright, I’m off to give Neale a break 🙂

          15. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            You could just shorten it to “I’m not here because I’m everywhere!”

          16. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Hi ya,
            Much better than having ‘the guy or girl who never tried’. Ie ‘waste of space’.
            Gotta die somehow!
            Xx

          17. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            a waste alright. Here’s one I might use: “she’s gone baby gone”

            Love to you 🙂

          18. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            I think Ill have ‘now we can all rest in peace, shes gone’.
            Funny story…we have a family section in the graveyard in a small town my family is from. When they dug out my granddads grave to put my nanas casket on top in their shared grave a few years ago, my aunty fell in. She was cleaning the headstone the morning of nanas funeral, stepped back and fell in on top of her dads casket where he was buried 45 years earlier. Thank goodness they had put fresh soil on top, but she was trapped, yelling out for help for a while until my mum turned up to see where she was.
            Imagine if you were a visitor and saw a freshly dug grave then heard someone yelling for help from inside. My Aunty, Uncle, my other nana, me and my kids couldnt stop laughing, everyone else was mortified and got shirty with us for laughing all day. And all year I think!
            Nana would have laughed, she probably pushed her..we buried her with white chocolate on her casket (she was 92).
            Xx

          19. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Wow that is funny. Reminds me of my grandpa. He was something man. Millionaire. Kids blew the frig out of it, plus grandma wasn’t the wisest. Old school. Let the men run the moola pile. Anyhoo, she spoiled me. That’s for sure. Here’s her motto. Heard it all my life. “Whatever you want, you get.” :))) she gave it out man. Let me drive her cadilac. I used to blair pink Cadillac and cruise control it. anyhoo, it was white and blue. The funeral of my grandpa was on a mountain drawn by horse and buggy not I think it was a mule lol anyway it was so sad. It was like out of not hemingway but what’s his face Faulkner. I took a class on him. Grandma actually met him with grandpa by the way. That’s another story. They came upon a tree of snakes. My grandma freaked and grandpa canoed them out. Ok back to the funeral and the mule ride. Actually I rode with my daddy in his gold corvet. Handsome but knows it. Oh well. I still love him but he was young. Back to the funeral. Alright you got a million gazillion people from all walks of life. Grandpa knew them all. Everybody from annie who lived on the hill actually in a holler who actually walked over 60 miles to visit someone with two shotguns and a pack of dogs behind her lol Indian of course. Once a snake crawled in her bedroom. Not even a blink. Just pulled out her gun. Mountain people. I am not that. I was a city girl but back to the funeral. Everybody is walking up the hill and the casket starts to come off the wagon. It was like Faulkner’s As I lay dying. All the pall bearers had to catch the coffin. But, the really freaky part was at the ceremony on top of the mountain. My grandma was devastated. Dear god. The stupid country preacher began to lower the casket with all of us standing there and my grandma flipped, began crying and running, couldn’t bear it. I’ll never forget that moment. Sorry to get down but that’s my cemetary story and probably why I don’t want to be buried there.

          20. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Sad…..could have been a funny story, but poor grandma. It must be so hard to have to bury someone, I dont know if loves worth it in the end. I have a lot of elderly customers, its really hard when they die or their spouse does. A couple of years ago one came in and I said how I hadnt seen her for months, not since she had shifted, her husband worked from home. She told me that six months earlier they were walking a local beach footpath and a drunk guy lost control, killing her husband. It was all over the papers…drunk at 10am on a Sunday morning. The day she popped in was the first time she had been able to leave the house in 6 months. Another came in to pick up a pirate cake tin she was hiring off me for her sons birthday. I adked how her 3 kids all were, and she just said ‘oh I’m so sorry, I thought you would have heard. Our son died of an asthma attack last week on the way to the doctors. But I’m still having his birthday party while Im still in shock, as a wake for all his friends and to celebrate his life since we didnt want young kids at the funeral” WTF??? How do you even function after that? Shes had a little girl since, was in the other day. I also have an old couple in their 90s, always together, they run the local snr citz club. They freak me out as theyre always holding hands…but must know one could die anyday. Its scary, and grief probably isnt worth it to me. Id be like your grandma…mine was widowed when she was my age, he had bowel cancer, yuck.
            Xx

          21. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            It is weird how people deal with grief differently. My ex’s family held stuff in kind of like one would think of Jackie Onassis when John Kennedy died, you know, stoic like. When my ex’s dad died he showed no tears but was deeply feeling something sad inside, wouldn’t let out his tears like I did at my grandma’s. I couldn’t stop flow of tears at her funeral. Then when my ex got hurt, falling off a wall, for god’s sake, his mom had only this to say ‘oh dear. I’m sure he will be fine. not a tear, not a panicked feeling traceable in her voice on the phone. So it’s not like she didn’t care, just she couldn’t show it in public. It’s not like she didn’t care but my grandma would have been overcome with grief. She actually had birthing pains when I was born, doubled over in the bathroom. I don’t know. Life can be strange. I try not to judge another’s feelings by appearances now. When my grandpa died, my aunt said all the kids need to go somewhere fun. There was a carnival in a nearby mall parking lot, so she took us. We were sad beyond belief but went anyway. It was out of worldly experience that we all remember. We rode the rides and the sun glared on the tilt a whirl and scrambler bars, tears in the corners of our eyes, I am sure, but lesson life moves on. When we got back home, we all got chastised vehemently by great grandmother who always insisted on being called mom. My aunt defended it though saying children need to know how to carry through times of trouble and joy. yeah. Love is not always easy.

            take care,
            M

          22. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Yip, a tricky one. Id bottle it up then go away somewhere by myself a month or so later and bawl my eyes out for a week, and probably die from a broken heart. But I would be fine with anyone other than a husband or my kids, Ive spoken at a few funerals, Im the one to be able to hold it completely together yet have the entire crowd in tears. Its wierd. I can detach and write then speak really soppy stuff. After I spoke, not telling my mother I was, at her partners funeral Mum said the oddest thing, “Im so proud of you, that was beautiful” and took the speech from me to keep. It wasnt about me Mum!!! But I think my sister got issues, she was the one asked to speak from our family, and was crying and couldnt get through it…they werent even close, but she was upset for Mum. I guess cos Id worked in a hospice and help nurse him for years with brain cancer, by the time of the funeral I was used to the idea he was gone and had my head around it before hand.
            I am dreading my 95year old nana passing though, she and I are very close, definately wont be able to speak at that one although I may have to if my cousins wont, or cant. Must fly down to see her soon, I visit every 6 months or so.
            Take care,
            K
            Xx

          23. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            yea. Sounds like you are the same way about your nana as I am about my grandma. She raised me, so she made over me and treated me like her daughter. I was always considered the “spoiled one” once others came along. I was the oldest grandchild. The daughters were jealous, so stupid. They knew I got special treatment. I would go in her big walk through closet and pick out clothes and shoes. High heels and blue jeans. She would say to the other daughters who were really her maids, so to speak, “That MEChelle has been in my closet. Where are my high heels?” Everyone made fun of it at the funeral. I couldn’t stop crying, couldn’t have read a thing. The daughters weren’t crying in the room. I’ll never forget it. She sat in her bedroom meditating always when It wasn’t cool. I mean, I didn’t know any grandmas who meditated. She even called it that. “I’m going to my room to meditate.” She looked like she was dead when she meditated. We used to hide behind the door and peek in and watch 🙂 She knew we were there eventually, and then she would raise up and scare us, playing. She would go “Aaaaaaagh” we would laugh. She was the best mother in life. So at the funeral, she looked like she was meditating with her arms folded on her chest, like I do meditation. It was how she always meditated. She was fun. We would drink coffee while the maids ran around bleaching everything. God. We’d just sip and watch and go for a ride and come back. They wanted lottos and money. I just wanted a good time. She was a good time. We giggled. If some good songs came on, we would dance. Chattahoochie choo choo or whatever that song is and my famous one “i want to jump but I’m afraid I’ll fall. Young rhythm’s got the hold on the beat I got the rockin pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu.” Alright, enough reminiscing. Grandmas are heaven. You should visit yours. Mine said when I moved far away that is what killed her. Everyone made me feel guilty for leaving. Truthfully, she said it gave her a stroke and damn if I don’t miss her. Can’t wait to see her in heaven. Love you.

          24. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            She sounds so much fun, glad you had a fun childhood and teenage years. Nana and I still take little road trips, but she has an anaerism (cant spell it) in her chest, bulging and could burst anyday, two surgeries in Dec couldnt fix it. Might do down in a couple of weeks, I only have Sun and Mon off work.
            Take care,
            Xx

          25. babybleustardust Avatar
            babybleustardust

            Well, enjoy her while she is here. I remember the last time I saw her. She had alzheimers and still was fun. We sat looked at birds and she looked at me and said, “You need to go and be with your family.” I’ll never forget it. Enjoy her. Love you.

          26. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            Your French is exquisite. I butcher French quite often.

          27. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Bonjour….I do have french blood, I look French. Do need a blood transfusion though, I dont really like the German bits…too boring!
            Xx

          28. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Hey! “I resemble that remark,” as my Mama used to quip. I’m 100% German. Well, except for some traveling troubadour from the Alsace region, but my family swears they were of German descent and had just taken a wrong turn and got lost. My last name is a few syllables shy of what the German version was, but I come from a long line of Hoffmans and Rosenheimers and Buchmanns and Schneiders and Maas’s. My Granny had an Aunt Calsildus and Uncle Bruno. All got out before The Great War, which followed a pretty sucky economic depression. (And I heard that remark about farmers. Them’s fighting words in my family!) Granny was the first to bring shame on the family—by marrying a “townie,” who was the son of the local grocer… back when the grocery carried everything from linaments to sewing notions to livestock feed to the local farmer’s crops. I’m named after my great grandmother Anna Swint (pronounced “Svint”). We sang “O Tannenbaum” and “Stille Nacht” when I was growing up. Every now and again I’d hear Granny calling herself “dumpkopf” under her breath or let out a good “Ach!” in frustration. Ach, the good ol’ days. ?

            Immer Liebe und Segen,
            ~Annie

          29. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Haha.
            You might need a blood transfusion too..although Germany does make great shoes. My grandparents are Stechman, obviously German although spelling was changed during the war, like most. My grandfathers father is german, who was already in NZ. Married an English girl new to NZ, Marie Gertrude (french scottish), but she was so homesick she ran away and sailed back to England, found she was pregnant so her family sold the family piano and sent her back to NZ, arriving just before she had my granddad. She died when he was a toddler, ovarian cancer.
            His dad remarried, as a bitter twisted drunk and had more kids, a cruel man after Marie died. My granddad was raised by his Aunt, with his name changed, had no idea he was a Stechman until he enlisted at age 18 and saw his birth certificate. Whats really sad is that we could never fine where grzndma Marie was buried, when she was 23ish. Two years some distant Stechmans found her, in an unmarked paupers grave in a town hours away. He must have been so upset and angry, especially when his sister took the toddler from him that he refused her a funeral.
            Mum and Aunty have given her a headstone, it tortured them finding out, especially since my mother is named Marie after her grandma.
            We’re farming families on both sides, my parents are the first generation of townies. One nanas family managed a high country sheep station for about 40 years I think, Nana was born there, one of 11 kids. Google it, Guide Hill, Tekapo. Beautiful, and we all went and stayed a week there in her old gamily home that is now hired out, for her 90th birthday. Really special, its a gorgeous place, Tekapo is truly Heaven. My mother was raised down there in the next town.
            Nana remembered the grocer, they were a 2 hour walk to the closest store, and it still is. He came in a horse and cart with all his goodies, and linament, once a month with their flour, sugar etc supplies, and fabrics, often trading for luxurious merino wool and meat in winter. Other than that they were self sufficient, the property even has a small fishing lake that becomes an ice rink in winter. The vege garden is still massive and maintained, it did feed a huge family plus all the farmhands and shearers my greatgrandma cooked for, and still does, they all pitch in and help themselves, its all organic. Very cool.
            Xx

          30. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Anna was one of 16 kids, all from the same set of parents. As the story goes, her parents and the whole gang, one of which was yet to be born, planned the move to the US along with pretty much all their neighbors and kin. Some from the area had already emigrated here before they finally did. And when they did, they were less than a day out to sea when my great great grandfather passed totally unexpectedly. He was highly thought of enough that they turned the boat around and dropped him off to be buried in Germany while Theresa made the trip being a suddenly widowed pregnant mother of the brood. The farmland in Ohio had already been bought through others who’d made the trip earlier. Theresa never remarried and was an oddity in that she owned the land. Scandalously, she literally wore the pants in the family and ran the farm as well as the home, with her brood of farmhand sons and “Mater’s helpers,” one of which was Anna. When they started marrying and having their own families, they were gifted with either a part of the original farm or adjacent land. Anna was an oddity in that she liked the finer things in life. Her “farmhouse,” as my Mama described it, was more like a mansion and shone from every surface, from the finished wood to the crystal chandelier to the silver and china and glass-fronted cabinets. Her hubby, Aloysius, widowed her young, too, and she never remarried, either. But she had to actually hire farmhands as Granny was the only girl and had just three brothers, one of whom was crippled by polio. Granny was a tomboy—guess she had to be—but she was the first girl in the family to go to school, until she laid eyes on my Grandpa Cyril, the son of the grocer. Granny kept in touch with over 100 “cousins” by handwritten letters until Mama’s passing took the life right out of her. Grandpa died when Granny was still young after having her four kids, but she didn’t remarry, either. She was Grandpa’s second wife, the first dying giving birth to a stillborn, so there was a big difference in age. Grandpa hired someone to run the grocery for a while, then sold it to one of the “cousins” so he could be one of those backroom dealing railroad men who smoked their stogeys and drank their whiskey. Left Granny quite well off, but when she passed, she willed most of it to the church. Both my aunties are nuns. My uncle got out of being a priest only because he was the lone male. That left Mama to be the “breeder.” I’m one of seven, and she lost two in there as well. Nine pregnancies​ in ten years. Sheesh! I can’t even imagine, going from a homemaker who’d never worked to suddenly being the single mother of seven kids aged four to 14. My father took his money with him, so she had no choice but to work. Turns out, she broke a lot of glass ceilings in the insurance industry, which we never understood until her boss talked to us after the funeral. Ach, the family stories. Told as religiously as the ones in the bible. They hold more meaning for me than some of the biblical ones because I know the players.

          31. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Wow, I love family stories. What guts Theresa must have had, no wonder they were all suppressed and never grieved, no time! I read the logs of people shipping here from around 1900, a local musuem has all the doctors logs, I love snooping. One breaks my heart, a disabled toddler had dysentary and couldnt eat solid food with his disability. Dr prescribed brandy, the ships cure all but he died a few days later. With the stress the mothers milk dried up and he wouldnt take milk made with powder from a spoon although they were desperately trying. So unnecessary and heartbreaking. The ships coming here were at sea for a couple of months so many died, like your great great grandfather. My mums other nana, maternal side from Guide Hill was Annie, Granny Annie.
            On my dads side is a similar story, my great great grandparents, Granny Eliza, got lots of farm land cheap plus free passage to NZ, as the gardener and housemaid of a British army general, who had been in Ireland trying to ‘tame the unruly Irish’. He said screw this and took a working retirement passage to NZ with his personal staff and allowed them to buy land to set themselves at the military rate. Back then NZ was being colonised so had a huge military presence to guard the country from the Dutch and others seeking land to steal. Soldiers were offered early retirement at age 40 with passage to NZ. I live in an old military town now, set up to guard the shores, Howick. Granny Eliza died having her 12th kid I think, heck, I would too. But the eldest was in his 20s then. Nana was raised on that farm, shes one of 9 i think, two sets of twins. Shes always been a dressmaker and Poppa was an aircraft engineer, same job for 50 years since he left school at 15. Nana said she wanted to be a teacher but parents couldnt afford it so she just accepted it and became a dressmaker. Shes 95 now, other than 1, theyve all died in the last 10 years, all over 80, a few in their 90s.
            My parents are from families or 2 and 3, and Im one of 2 although dad remarried later so I have siblings in late 20s as well. Very normal upbringing in the cool 70s, all completely normal with 2 parents, 3 grandparents, 3 aunts and uncles and a grand total of 7 cousins. No black sheep, all boringly normal! Although im sure there are lots of skeletons in the closets along the way.
            Did your dad leave, or die, leaving your mum with 7 kids?. Thats nuts, constantly pregnant and feeding babies while working. Insane. Damn grandma leaving her money to the church.
            Xx

          32. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Oh, it was a soap opera, and very public. My father left us, but unfortunately there was a lot of damage done by the time he did. Both being raised in the same neighborhood, going to the same Catholic parish church and school, the families had kown each other for years. Mama said they were “expected” to marry, although it wasn’t technically an arranged one. Back then, it was ’til death do us part, so Mama expected to stay married her whole life and, being the designated “breeder,” that’s what her schooling was all about. Home Economics and how to stay within the laws of the church. She was very intelligent, earning a Bishop’s Cross in Latin (that’s a very big deal). She was also the Valedictorian of her class, beating out my father by percentage points. She was awarded a full ride scholarship by the local Kiwanis Club, the first female. But, all she ever wanted to do was be a wife and mother. As she put it, she just expected she’d be treated lovingly and that whoever she married would stick around.

            My father’s a real piece of work. I consider him severely mentally ill though he’s never allowed himself to be diagnosed. First, he isolated her. Then he started abusing her and openly sleeping with any female within his reach. He was a “professional student” for years. He got a BA in Civil Engineering, then nearly got an MA in the same but wouldn’t make some changes to his thesis when the draft was reviewed by his faculty sponsor. So, he quit that and instead transferred whatever credits he could to get whatever it takes to teach Civil Engineering. It’s my understanding he ended up with an MA in Education.

            The family grew and moved around to wherever he went for his degrees, so never stayed more than four years in one place. The oldest three were all born a year apart in March, then the fourth in November a year and a half later, while he was getting his BA. The next was a stillborn carried to term and then two more (myself included) while trying to get that MA in Civil Engineering. The last was a “tag along” born three years younger than me while getting certified to teach. We celebrated my baby bro’s first birthday with the boxes still packed when we moved yet again when he found a teaching position.

            My father claims to be everything–an alcoholic, sexaholic, sugar addict–except for what I believe he truly is, which is a classic narcissist who probably also has Bipolar as it runs in the family, but none on Mama’s side of the family acted like they had it. The abuse didn’t stop with Mama. There was incest with all three of us girls, and I suspect one of the boys. He had a cruel streak that apparently got worse as time went on because the abuse got worse with each kid, with the exception of my baby brother. Still, being Catholic, Mama’s religion didn’t allow for divorce. The marriage finally had its last straw very publicly when both my Mama and my father’s mistress (one of the nuns at our school) ended up pregnant at the same time. He swears he had a heart attack, but the docs checked him out and determined it was a major panic attack.

            Everything was in my father’s name, so when he chose his younger mistress over my worn out (and by then a functionally alcoholic) Mama, he dictated a letter to his secretary to have hand delivered to Mama that started out “Dear Ex-Wife.” He blamed it all on her, insisting he was going to prove her an unfit mother, and his secretary found Mama a small apartment and a psychiatrist by the time he was released from the hospital. I was seven, and it was the summer from H*ll because Mama wasn’t there to get in his way to save us. It ended up backfiring on him, though. Mama’s psychiatrist got her to admit that my father was extremely controlling, and figured out at least a good portion of the rest from there.

            Meanwhile, my father got careless after so many years of absolute control and rules, and he scared the crap out of himself when he totally lost it with me one day. I mean, this was a man who was always careful about removing his rings, not hitting or kicking in the head, and not leaving marks where they could be seen in public. Cold and calculating and twisted. That day he turned into a red-faced, bug-eyed monster who was frothing at the mouth while he broke bones and left bruises everywhere, all because I told a friend’s mom that “sometimes he hits when he gets mad.” I think it scared the piss out of him that he’d lost control, not because there was finally proof of abuse. Anyway, he gave up on the idea of having sole custody of us kids and moved out, with Mama moving back in to pick up the pieces.

            Back then, you actually had to have a reason to divorce beyond “irreconcilable differences,” so he told Mama she’d have to file based on his infidelity or he’d just up and disappear and she’d get no alimony or child support. As it was, at least in my opinion, he bought a crooked lawyer who knew a crooked judge because all she got was enough to cover the mortgage payment and house insurance, along with $50/month per kid. Then he bought an annullment from the Archdiocese, turning all seven us into bastards in the eyes of the church, so he could marry his pregnant ex-nun in the church. He had visitation rights, but showed irregularly except for the two weeks he had us for the summer when we’d go visit his mom in Ohio. I started refusing to see him when I was 10. I hadn’t seen him or talked to him for years when he showed up uninvited at my HS graduation. Tried to give me a check for $1,977 because I graduated in 1977, but I tore it up and threw it in his face. That was the last time I saw him in person.

            I have two half-sisters from his second marriage, one natural and one adopted. (He wanted to go into politics in the era of the Civil Rights Movement here, so he basically bought a little girl who was black.) Last I heard, the 10 pound “preemie” they had first was a single mom to a few of her own, a drug addict and prostitute, in and out of rehab. The younger adopted one simply left when she graduated HS and was never heard from again.

            He ended up divorcing his second wife, married and divorced his third wife, and then remarried his second wife (total of four marriages). He’d lost everything, including his prestigious job and political ambitions, and went through his own family’s money after he put his mom in a home. I think he was still working two jobs when he hit retirement age–a janitor ina hospital and a parking lot attendant. I usually look him up once a year or so to see if he’s still alive, and he still was last fall.

            Mama passed when she was 51 from aggressive breast cancer. She was the glue that held us together, so I’m not even sure where all my sibs are living, if they’re married or divorced, or how many kids they ended up having. It didn’t help matters that I got help for myself after years in a relationship with a man much like my father, which meant telling the family secrets. It’s no wonder to me we’re not close as we all felt like we got the worst of it, and he used to threaten each that he’d move on to the next youngest one if we didn’t comply. In actuality, in all cases except for my baby brother, he already had but we just didn’t know it. Threatened to kill Mama, too, if we didn’t do as he said or told anyone.

            One of the saddest parts of the story is that, because Mama couldn’t talk about it with her, Granny disowned her when she filed for divorce. But the families still went to that same parish church in Ohio, and after about a year of hearing rumors that we were doing without while he bought a house in cash and his second wife walked around in furs and diamonds, Granny relented. I remember Mama basically falling apart when she answered the phone and it was Granny. I’m sure she never heard the whole story, but the furs and jewels were enough to bring her around. They ended up having a bit of fun with it because Granny knew anything she said to her church friends would get back to my father. She told some whoppers. When one of my father’s great aunts passed over, someone we were all close to, Mama decided to go up for the funeral. Made herself a blue velvet tea length dress, shoved herself into the tightest corset she could and still breathe, and Granny bought a gaudy fake cocktail ring for her. Suddenly, my father was trying to get back in touch with us all. They laughed about it for years.

            It’s a twisted family story, alright, but it’s actually more common here in the US than people realize. They don’t know, and they don’t want to know. But there are tons of online peer support groups for recovering from incest and severe abuse. I’m one that beat the odds, or so the stats say. Never did like the idea of drugs because he drugged me, never crossed the line into alcoholism (though I came close), never turned to prostitution, didn’t land in jail or dead. And all that therapy and introspection is what led me into Spirituality, for which I’m exceedingly grateful.

            So, that’s most of the rest of the family story. I come from really good stock on Mama’s side, but really bad on my father’s. Me, I’m Spiritual and eccentric, so I’m kinda a mix of the two.

            Gotta go walk the dog. Already put him off half an hour.

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          33. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Thanks for sharing Annie, Id read bits and pieces of it in here, all makes sense now.
            Hope you and Biscuit had a nice walk after typing that! Did you make your last home payment this month yet? Thats huge.
            Im processing all you wrote, but one thing, that you will already know, and something that i furiates me about abusers….you left peodophile off the list. Isnt it funny how multi abusers manage to get sexual abuse put on the general list of their mental health issues or abuse list, sort of bypassing the word peodophile, which they are. The sickest of all!
            My family are all so normal its laughable, and my childhood was classic middle class ‘white’. Dad working, Mum working in a school when I started school in 1975 so had holidays off, in the same home from the time I was 2, Mum then buying dad out when they divorced when I was probably 15 or 16. Cant really remember as I was a social butterfly then and dad travelled the pacific islands for work since I was probably 10 so I was used to him not being at home.
            Re Germany…my sister speaks German, she spent her final school year on a Rotary exchange to Germany, although somehow ended up doing a Contiki tour for ages, when she was under 18!! Go figure!! I feel France in my blood, but my Mum and sister both feel Germany in theirs. Its all odd what people ‘feel’ through their bodies and souls.
            Take care Annie..Im going to play. As a 2nd job I sell lots of pretty sewing trims and things online, Ive just bought a carfull of stock from a dressmaker moving premises…Heaven for me. I’m a magpie for pretties and detailed clothes. I love sewing trims, thank goodness I can just admire them, then onsell or Id be a hoarder of pretties since I never get time to sew the million things I want but dont need, and would never wear.

            Whats this blog about???? Haha.
            Xx

          34. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
            Spiritual_Annie

            Oh, the synchronicities. My Mama actually was a hoarder of such things, convincing herself when she got them that she’d make a new dress, or curtains, or slipcovers. When she passed we discovered that, not only was the old ping pong table in the basement a couple of feet deep in fabric, but it was also packed in underneath it. The notions filled two deep closets. What I had to laugh at, though, was the mountain of mismatched socks on the counter in the laundry room that had grown over the years. And there were still dampened clothes, rolled up and put in ziplock bags in the freezer for later ironing.

            It was kinda strange. We didn’t really have to go through all that stuff because my uncle, as executor of her will, decided to sell all the belongings as an estate. (Well, after sneakily making sure us kids got the things Mama had always said she wanted us to have.) What made it stranger is that my sister’s in-laws bought it because they owned the package liquor/gun shop/secondhand store out in the boonies. Seeing familiar things in the store was odd enough, but they put a lot of the furniture and knick knacks in their home. I was dating my brother-in-law’s younger brother at the time, and it was freaky seeing stuff that had been in our living room in theirs.

            Y’know, even though my father’s technically a pedophile, I don’t think of him that way. I mean, he had all kinds of affairs with adult women, and with my oldest sister it went on past “the age of consent.” He didn’t get into kiddie porn, and I think (hope, pray) that he kept the pedophilia in the family. He’s such a screwed up man in so many ways that it feels like one of the “lesser sins,” even though I know it’s not. For him, it was so much about power and violence and control that I sometimes don’t even feel that the sexual abuse and pedophilia was about sex. It was one more way to inflict violence and his will, albeit the most intimate way there is.

            I once told Mama that my father should have been castrated at birth (back when I still carried a lot of rage). Her reply? No, because then us kids wouldn’t be here. But, she continued, it’s never too late…

            This blog is about God, and how colorful life is. In other words, everything. ?

            Love and Blessings Always,
            ~Annie

          35. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Hi ya,
            Re your father…yip most victims and families think like that…the bottom line is male bodies dont lie…but yip, incredibly screwed up. But enough about him, unless you want to talk about it…amateur psychologist to amateur psychologist! Yip, theres a lot to be said for ‘circumcisions gone wrong’ with some people.

            That would be so freaky seeing your family stuff in a shop. Reminds me of something Id forgotten. Im sort of the passive non greedy one in my family, so little chance of hierlooms.
            Years ago my teenage daughter and I went to an antique fair and I bought her an old cane pram and we got a fox fur wrap plus some gorgeous old christening gowns, and packed them away with some old spoons and bits I have from old great aunties etc. We laughed and decided that one day, probably her grandkids, our family will assume the stuff we bought are from our family, so we pretended to have family treasures!
            I used to collect old handmade baby gowns etc, it was sad they end up in antique shops when someone spent hours and hours making them, then they end up dumped in shops for random people to buy. They should stay in families. My fav is a stunning cotton Edwardian one from America, the seller was American and bought a shipment. Odd woman!!! Im over my collecting phase now, and into a minimilist one..with too much stuff!!! But do love my antique sewing machine and a few things still. And do have enough fabric to probably have a clothes line, which was the plans many moons ago…until I realise I dont like sewing! Oops.
            Mis matched and odd socks…haha. We have a supermarket bag full, 4 (my 3 plus sons girlfriend) kids at home…washing machine eats a lot of socks! But the ironing does get done! Your poor Mama..trying so hard to get it all organised, just not enough time!
            Take care Annie,
            Xx

          36. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            Howdy? is that a farmer thing? why does this look different two days later? My eyes deceive me or I see in a new light. 90% of the population is clueless. they only do what others are doing. and 90 % of those aren’t sure. what percentage is left?

          37. Kristen Avatar
            Kristen

            Who knows the percentage, as long as its a small percentage, I’ll be there.
            Howdy is cowboy talk…so a ranch not a farm, farms are for the commoners, green farms are soooooo 2010!
            Yip, words do that a lot, kind of like a switch, can be read as two completely, often opposing, ways. Sometimes I feel the switch, knowing instantly Ive read it wrong. Its nuts. The word language means ‘what the speaker or writer wishes to say or convey’. Im sure life is based on misinterpretations and misunderstandings, because people forget that bit. They forget words are from the hands and mind of the speaker, and try to read the words as a stand alone thing, isolated from the speaker/writer.
            Your buddy Patrick does that a lot…lots do.
            Song time, The Greatest Song In The World I think, very and I love the clip.
            Xx

    3. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
      Spiritual_Annie

      Jethro,

      It’s good to have you back with us. You know who’s dancing again… ?

      The quote of Einstein’s referencing the mysterious library is one of my favorites from him. It doesn’t matter what label one gives the awe of our understanding being just out of reach—until it no longer is—or the label we give the understanding once we’ve discovered it. What’s important is the awe and our own individual experience in finding our own answers.

      Love and Blessings Always,
      ~Annie

      1. Jethro Avatar
        Jethro

        Love a dancing snoopy. Patrick is giving me a hard time about leaving. He loves me. I wish the posts didn’t leave with the deleting of an account but it’s in the programming.
        Of course the most important part of every message is how it’s received and every message can be received differently. Let’s just feel blessed that we care enough to receive… something. Reception creates conversations.
        I’m rarely too far away. Things just get a little funky now and then and I’m not all there all the time. … but I’m feeling much better now!

        1. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
          Spiritual_Annie

          Jethro,

          Darn, and I still have our science revering participant blocked. Sounds like you received it well… kinda sorta. It’s a whole different experience reading only half the conversation. Let’s me fill in the other half any way I want.

          Life can get a bit funky every now and again. That’s when I turn on my Motown playlist, so I can get down and get funky out loud. Gets it right out of my system, it does. It’s hard to stay too far down when listening to “Brick House.”

          Personally, I’d be a bit suspicious about someone who says they’re all there all the time. Y’know, you’re certainly welcome, in my view, whether you’re all there or not.

          Yes, every day, in every way, I’m be-ing better and better.

          Love and Blessings Always,
          ~Annie

          1. Jethro Avatar
            Jethro

            Sssoouullllllll trrraaaiiinn. Cause she’s my brick….. house, ya she’s the the one…. oh the good ol’ days! Saturday mornings were the best!!!

  12. Bishop Hollywood Avatar
    Bishop Hollywood

    I absolutely agree with you Bro. Neale that everyone is having their own conversation and relationship with God but most don’t realize that they are. See I see the issue as being people are basing their experience with God with what others are experiencing with God let me explain. I have read the King James Version of the bible many times and saw how people back then had their own experiences with God and I personally said to myself, OK if such and such had that relationship with God, why not seek my own relationship with God. Now some people will read the same things I have read and say, I want that same experience with God instead of seeking their own personal relationship with God. I have discussion with people about God and yes there has been times that people have gotten upset with me cause I didn’t have the same relationship with God that they have. I have learned over the years that even if you don’t agree with a person about anything, you still respect them and love them for who they are and their outlook on life. That’s the beauty of God, the differing of opinions and outlooks on life and God. God isnt just one way or one thing, God is the total of all ways and all things and that is absolutely perfect.

    1. Spiritual_Annie Avatar
      Spiritual_Annie

      I love it: “God isnt just one way or one thing, God is the total of all ways and all things and that is absolutely perfect.”

      And so it is. Perfect.

      Love and Blessings Always,
      ~Annie

      1. Bishop Hollywood Avatar
        Bishop Hollywood

        Love and blessings to you as well Spiritual Annie

  13. Marko Avatar

    Neale has a new blog up……..

  14. steven cauthron Avatar

    It may sound a bit crazy,but I have a conversation with God on a daily bases and it’s not so much as in words,but more in feelings and thoughts

    1. Jethro Avatar
      Jethro

      I see it the same way. Its not as crazy as hearing a deep voice ringing in from the atmosphere.

      1. steven cauthron Avatar

        i can see that,…believe it or not,..there is a small gland in the back of our brains thats called the penal gland, it is also connected to our sight, as we see things from our eyes and has been scientifically proven that if we eat the rite nutrients it will be like an antenna

        1. Jethro Avatar
          Jethro

          A penal gland would be a gland related to the penis because penitentiaries do not have glands. I believe your describing a pineal gland. “The pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, epiphysis or the “third eye”) is a small endocrine gland. It produces melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and photoperiodic (seasonal) functions. It is located near to the center of the brain between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join. Unlike much of the rest of the brain, the pineal gland is not isolated from the body by the blood-brain barrier system. It is reddish-gray and about the size of a pea (8 mm in humans).” – crystalinks.com. Science has not linked it to being a receptor for strange voices so I cannot agree nor disagree. Though I do see it’s related to sleep patterns which slows us down after dark helping to recognize a change in the seasons and produces a chemical that helps us sleep or be calm enough to do so. Our conversations with God are tied to our past experiences and personal thoughts about them sometimes producing new ideas which appear to us as knowledge from God. Since we are God and the thoughts of all that lives is God, we can actually say in truth that we have had a conversation with God.

  15. Gross Prophet Avatar
    Gross Prophet

    I don’t keep up with these (not getting notifications for some reason), but this column was the second one from you which had me laughing out loud. I rather liked your off-color humor.

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